February’s Book: Hotel on the Corner of Bitter and Sweet by Jamie Ford

It is a brand new year!! So many books, so little time. I am looking forward to reading our book club picks this year. It is a wonderful evening full of discussion and laughter. We are very blessed to have such a wonderful group of friends.

We will start out with Telarry Anderson hosting our February meeting on the 2nd at 7pm. Please note that we have switched our meetings to the first Thursday of each month.   Telarry’s pick is":

                                

In the opening pages of Jamie Ford’s stunning debut novel, Hotel on the Corner of Bitter and Sweet, Henry Lee comes upon a crowd gathered outside the Panama Hotel, once the gateway to Seattle’s Japantown. It has been boarded up for decades, but now the new owner has made an incredible discovery: the belongings of Japanese families, left when they were rounded up and sent to internment camps during World War II. As Henry looks on, the owner opens a Japanese parasol.
This simple act takes old Henry Lee back to the 1940s, at the height of the war, when young Henry’s world is a jumble of confusion and excitement, and to his father, who is obsessed with the war in China and having Henry grow up American. While “scholarshipping” at the exclusive Rainier Elementary, where the white kids ignore him, Henry meets Keiko Okabe, a young Japanese American student. Amid the chaos of blackouts, curfews, and FBI raids, Henry and Keiko forge a bond of friendship–and innocent love–that transcends the long-standing prejudices of their Old World ancestors. And after Keiko and her family are swept up in the evacuations to the internment camps, she and Henry are left only with the hope that the war will end, and that their promise to each other will be kept.

“A tender and satisfying novel set in a time and a place lost forever, Hotel on the Corner of Bitter and Sweet gives us a glimpse of the damage that is caused by war--not the sweeping damage of the battlefield, but the cold, cruel damage to the hearts and humanity of individual people. Especially relevant in today's world, this is a beautifully written book that will make you think. And, more importantly, it will make you feel."
-- Garth Stein, New York Times bestselling author of The Art of Racing in the Rain

A goodreads reader reviewed this book:     I'm always a little behind the curve when it comes to reading blockbuster NYT bestsellers. I think a part of me resists because I love finding "little" books that deserve kudos and talking about them. But I had heard so many good things about THE HOTEL ON THE CORNER OF BITTER AND SWEET that I bought it, though I sat on it a while before I cracked it open to read. Once I did, I was hooked instantly by the wonderful character of Henry Lee, a 12-year-old boy in Seattle's Chinatown during the early years of America's involvement in WWII. Henry's relationship with Keiko, a Japanese girl at his otherwise white school, is frowned upon by his father (in fact, he doesn't even tell his parents about Keiko for a long time). I so enjoyed seeing the boy Henry was (in the 1940s) interspersed with more modern chapters (1980s) so I also viewed the man he became. A sweet and eye-opening tale about love and humanity during an uncivil era. Highly recommended for readers of all ages.(less)

This is a wonderful book. Enjoy reading and see you on February 2nd at 7pm.

December’s book: The Count of Monte Cristo by Alexandre Dumas

Thank you Bethany for a wonderful evening in your home. Chocolat by Joanne Harris was a great book and the discussion and desserts were Yummy!

Because of scheduling conflicts our normal book club date needed to be changed this month.  I hope this will will work for most of us. Our next book club meeting will be NOVEMBER 29 at 7pm. This is a Tuesday. Diane will be hosting. Her book pick is The Count of Monte Cristo by Alexandre Dumas :

                               

Falsely accused of treason, the young sailor Edmond Dantes is arrested on his wedding day and imprisoned in the island fortress of the Chateau d'If. Having endured years of incarceration, he stages a daring and dramatic escape and sets out to discover the fabulous treasure of Monte Cristo, and to catch up with his enemies. A novel of enormous tension and excitement, The Count of Monte Cristo is also a tale of obsession and revenge. Believing himself to be an 'Angel of Providence', Dantes pursues his vengeance to the bitter end, only then realizing that he himself is a victim of fate.

I realize this book is a long one, but hopefully you have gotten your hands on a copy and have enjoyed reading. The book is very different from the movie but the same themes remain in both. I look forward to our discussion.

SEE YOU ON TUESDAY NOVEMBER 29 at 7pm at my house.

Looking ahead to January, we will be watching the movie THE HELP at Linda Abrams home. This will be on January 3 or 4th depending on if we need to move the day we meet for book club for next year. Telarry Anderson will be hosting in February. Her book  pick is  Hotel on the Corner of Bitter and Sweet by Jamie Ford. 

Diane

November’s book: Chocolat by Joanne Harris

What a wonderful discussion we had at Beth’s home last month. Unbroken by Laura Hillenbrand was an amazing book to read and ponder. Thanks to everyone who came and shared memories of this greatest generation and the trials and circumstances surrounding WWll.

Our next book club meeting will need to be changed from our usual date. It will be moved to Tuesday Nov 1st at 7pm at Bethany Whiteley’s home.

Her book pic is:    Chocolat by Joanne Harris

                              

A goodreads review of the book says:

Illuminating Peter Mayle's South of France with a touch of Laura Esquivel's magic realism, Chocolat is a timeless novel of a straitlaced village's awakening to joy and sensuality. In tiny Lansquenet, where nothing much has changed in a hundred years, beautiful newcomer Vianne Rocher and her exquisite chocolate shop arrive and instantly begin to play havoc with Lenten vows. Each box of luscious bonbons comes with a free gift: Vianne's uncanny perception of its buyer's private discontents and a clever, caring cure for them. Is she a witch? Soon the parish no longer cares, as it abandons itself to temptation, happiness, and a dramatic face-off between Easter solemnity and the pagan gaiety of a chocolate festival. Chocolat's every page offers a description of chocolate to melt in the mouths of chocoholics, francophiles, armchair gourmets, cookbook readers, and lovers of passion everywhere. It's a must for anyone who craves an escapist read, and is a bewitching gift for any holiday.

A Goodreads reader writes:

Joanne Harris made me long to move to Europe. More fantasizing about small town, rural life. And the descriptions of the chocolate left me dreaming about rose creams, amaretto, pain au chocolat...why is it that these books that leave me hungry and dissatisfied are some of my favorites? Really.
This book is full of luscious sentences, beautiful descriptions, and alluring personalities. It's different from the movie - but both have the same spirit of magical glamor. And both make me need to go get a truffle.

Yummy! Happy reading and we will see everyone on Tuesday Nov 1st at Bethany’s home.

October’s Book: Unbroken by Laura Hillenbrand

Isn’t is wonderful that we can get together as friends and discuss such amazing books?  Every book we read and discuss leaves an impression upon us. Our blessings are numerous and life is a wonderful gift. Thanks for a great evening LuAnn.

Welcome to Janene Anderson. We are so glad to have you join us for however long it lasts.

A sad farewell to Debbie. You will be sorely missed. Your comments and insights have been spot on and well thought out. Keep reading and know that we will miss you. What about a once a month commute?

Beth Adkins will host our next meeting on

Wednesday October 5 at 7pm.  Her book pick is:

                             

A goodreads review says:

On a May afternoon in 1943, an Army Air Forces bomber crashed into the Pacific Ocean and disappeared, leaving only a spray of debris and a slick of oil, gasoline, and blood. Then, on the ocean surface, a face appeared. It was that of a young lieutenant, the plane’s bombardier, who was struggling to a life raft and pulling himself aboard. So began one of the most extraordinary odysseys of the Second World War.
The lieutenant’s name was Louis Zamperini. In boyhood, he’d been a cunning and incorrigible delinquent, breaking into houses, brawling, and fleeing his home to ride the rails. As a teenager, he had channeled his defiance into running, discovering a prodigious talent that had carried him to the Berlin Olympics and within sight of the four-minute mile. But when war had come, the athlete had become an airman, embarking on a journey that led to his doomed flight, a tiny raft, and a drift into the unknown.
Ahead of Zamperini lay thousands of miles of open ocean, leaping sharks, a foundering raft, thirst and starvation, enemy aircraft, and, beyond, a trial even greater. Driven to the limits of endurance, Zamperini would answer desperation with ingenuity; suffering with hope, resolve, and humor; brutality with rebellion. His fate, whether triumph or tragedy, would be suspended on the fraying wire of his will.
In her long-awaited new book, Laura Hillenbrand writes with the same rich and vivid narrative voice she displayed in Seabiscuit.
Telling an unforgettable story of a man’s journey into extremity,Unbroken is a testament to the resilience of the human mind, body, and spirit.

                                          See you at Beth’s !

August’s book: The Immortal Life of Henrietta Lacks by Rebecca Skloot

Thank you Heather Otte for such a wonderful evening on the lake. The weather was perfect and our discussion was great. We all agreed The Chinese Ginger Jars was a wonderful book to read. The writing was good and the story of her missionary experiences were eye-opening to read. How grateful we are for the freedoms we enjoy and the luxuries we take for granted every day. The sequel to this book ( Richer by India)  is worth reading as well. We missed all who could not attend.  A special welcome to Courtney Jones as the newest member of our book club. She meet Heather through school. We are very glad to know you.

Our next book club meeting will be hosted by Margaret Vidmar on Wednesday August 3rd at 7pm.  Her book pick is: 

The Immortal Life of Henrietta Lacks by Rebecca Skloot

                      

Amazon Best Books of the Month, February 2010: From a single, abbreviated life grew a seemingly immortal line of cells that made some of the most crucial innovations in modern science possible. And from that same life, and those cells, Rebecca Skloot has fashioned in The Immortal Life of Henrietta Lacks a fascinating and moving story of medicine and family, of how life is sustained in laboratories and in memory. Henrietta Lacks was a mother of five in Baltimore, a poor African American migrant from the tobacco farms of Virginia, who died from a cruelly aggressive cancer at the age of 30 in 1951. A sample of her cancerous tissue, taken without her knowledge or consent, as was the custom then, turned out to provide one of the holy grails of mid-century biology: human cells that could survive--even thrive--in the lab. Known as HeLa cells, their stunning potency gave scientists a building block for countless breakthroughs, beginning with the cure for polio. Meanwhile, Henrietta's family continued to live in poverty and frequently poor health, and their discovery decades later of her unknowing contribution--and her cells' strange survival--left them full of pride, anger, and suspicion. For a decade, Skloot doggedly but compassionately gathered the threads of these stories, slowly gaining the trust of the family while helping them learn the truth about Henrietta, and with their aid she tells a rich and haunting story that asks the questions, Who owns our bodies? And who carries our memories? --Tom Nissley

A goodreads reader says:   This is a phenomenal book. If it doesn't win every non-fiction award for 2010 than whoever votes for non-fiction awards should have their library cards taken away from them*.
The author, Rebecca Skloot, does a masterful job of seamlessly weaving in the scientific story of Henrietta Lacks' immortal cells and the effect they have had on medicine and medical ethics with a real human interest story about Henrietta and the struggles of her family. Skloot does this without coming across as maudlin, preachy, overly technical, guilt ridden, condescending, or just plain boring.
She deftly weaves two legs of one story together, darting in and out with ease and keeping the reader interested in learning the science and caring about the people. She does this all while doing her best to avoid passing judgment or creating villains. Like a good journalist, she simply reports the facts of a fantastically and seemingly thoroughly researched book and lets the reader interpret them as they will.
In all, this is not only a terrific science book that is not afraid to tackle gray areas of ethics and leave them unanswered without getting preachy, not only a gripping human interest story with more than one human we are interested in, but also a socioeconomic look at the educational opportunities and struggles of poor, disadvantaged people across several generations of our country. Most of all though, this is a uniquely American story.

Enjoy reading and see you next month.

July’s Book: The Chinese Ginger Jars by Myra Scovel

First off, thank you to all who responded so positively to LuAnn’s need to cancel her book club meeting at the last minute. It was a great help to her.  She has decided to reschedule her book  for August 31st.  That is our September meeting but since there are 5 Wednesdays in August it will be the last Wednesday in August at 7pm at LuAnn’s house. Her book will remain the same. The Calligrapher’s Daughter by Eugenia Kim.

Heather Otte will be hosting book club on Wednesday July 6th at 7pm. Her book pick is:  The Chinese Ginger Jars by Myra Scovel

                               

The courageous human story of an American missionary family in china during the Japanese occupation and under the communist Regime.

An Amazon review states:  This is an enchanting story in a somewhat pompous but fitting style. Myra Scovel and her husband Frederick, a Presbyterian doctor, spent two decade in China, travelling from one corner to another, practicing medicine through the suzerains of both the Japanese and Communists. The account of the treatment of a ward full of opium addicts, as well as of the Japanese invading the hospital/missionary post the Scovels owned, are well treated and exciting. Myra and her husband were also missionaries in India; this is mentioned briefly toward the end of this memoir.

Heather has recommended this book to us before so I am glad she picked this one.  Thank you Heather for letting us know about your selection early so we could be ordering it or sharing it. This one is out of print and not many reviews were to be found. Enjoy reading!!

As we have done in the past, it is a good idea to carpool to Heather’s house as parking is limited.

June Book Club: The Calligrapher’s Daughter by Eugenia Kim

We had a wonderful time at Sue’s house last night. We braved the road repairs and even discussed staying until 2am. (It was quickly nixed!) We all agreed that A Tree Grows in Brooklyn by Betty Smith was a great book with very strong women characters. It was interesting to break down this book and look for themes and meaning. Thanks Sue for an enjoyable evening. We missed all who could not be there.

LuAnn will be hosting our next meeting. It will be Wednesday June 1st at 7pm. Her pick for June is:

                                    

A goodreads reader writes:

This is truly a heartwarming and lovely tale, one of those novels that touches you in such a way, you hate for it to end. It is story of a Korean girl and her mother, a story of a proud nation battling the aggressiveness of another, a story of a man coming to understand and accept that old ways and lifestyle must change, and a story of love that survives many hardships. All these stories in one magnificent novel. The Korean girl, Najin, is growing up in a very Confucian household. Her mother, however, strives for Najin to get an education and to make something of herself. Throughout the many years, wars, and tribulations, Najin's mother is there for her, supporting her and fighting for her, even standing up to her strict husband to save Najin's future. Najin, does indeed, make something of herself despite her nation's constant battles with Japan and being separated from her husband and even imprisoned. Readers also see things from Najin's father's point of view, as he comes of age in a society that is straying from his traditional beliefs and he comes to slowly accept that his daughter is not so "worthless" after all. Though taking a minor role in the novel, a love story also thrives. Being married for only a day and separated for eleven years, reader's will find out if love is enough for Najin and her husband. The ending will leave reader's dabbing their eyes. Truly, a gem and absolute must read. Highly recommended.

Jane Bishop let us know of a website where you can buy books. It’s Thriftbooks.com   Check it out.

On a sad/happy note Jane has finally sold her home and will be moving to Utah mid June. We will miss your contribution to our book club and your friendship.

Happy Reading!