A Christmas Carole by Charles Dickens

We had a Christmas Party and book group meeting on December 13th. There were 9 of approximately 11 regular members who were able to make it on that day. The more members we have the harder it is to select a date that meets everyone's schedule. We are so sorry the members who were not able to come couldn't. The book was A Christmas Carole by Charles Dickens and was held at my house this time and I was able to lead the discussion. 

The food was very good including: Parmesan Chicken(me), lasagna(Stef), shrimp(Kris) great salad(Korie), bread(Kris), Cheesecake(Angie) and Costco cake(Lorraine), eclairs(PeggyAnn).

We had a good discussion with a few questions I found online. And afterwards we had a favorite things gift exchange. It is always fun to see what everyone likes. Some of the favorite things that I remember were some Swedish dish clothes, a pirate cutting board with peg leg knife(Peg Leg Craig), products from Bath and Body Work, homemade soap and tissue box, Pizza House gift card, Foot warming booties. I'll add some more when I wrack my brain a little, to remember.

We watched the movie A Christmas Carole, the Jim Carey version. The group didn't like it as well as other versions. We also considered watching, The Man Who Invented Christmas.

Our next book selection will be The Arabian Nights. The discussion is set for January 2025.

Narrative of the Life of Frederick Douglass by Frederick Douglass book Discussion

 November 15th was the day selected to discuss Narrative of the Life of Frederick Douglass by Frederick Douglass. The discussion was lead by Lorraine.

The food was a highlight as usual. We had salad, creamy soup, Marci brought her sourdough bread (very good). There was a pumpkin dessert, Peggy Ann brought a sugar free dessert, I brought roasted butternut squash.

We missed a couple members due to sickness and one being out of town. We will have to make sure that the night we pick doesn't land on the day she is out of town.

For the movie we watched part of a documentary about Frederick Douglass and then watched a movie called Escape from Germany. It didn't have to do with the book but it was good. It was about how the missionaries serving in Germany were directed by church leaders to get out of Germany before armies invaded. I liked it and would like to read the book (Mine Angels Round About) that is suppose to have more details.

Halloween Party Book Discussion 2024

For our October book selection we read Frankenstein by Mary Shelly. The party took place at Marci's October 19th, she has an amazing room to have a party.

One of the best surprises was that one of our members who moved away came back for the party/discussion(Meri). We love her and are so happy to have her come back, as well as any other members who have moved away it is fun to have them rejoin when they can.

Of course we always have a lot of delicious food Pumpkin stew baked in a pumpkin, cream cheese pumpkin bars, croissants, popcorn balls, salad, eclairs, roasted garlic cheese dip, cupcakes, and more, that I would describe it if I could remember.

We watched Young Frankenstein for our movie pick.

Meri, Marci, Nancy, Kris, Stephanie R, Stefanie M, Lorraine, Sharon, PeggyAnn

  

Summer Wrap Up

 Hey all you classic readers!

It's been a busy summer for our book group and yet we are going strong.

July 1st, we were able to do a different kind of book group meeting when we ventured to attend a live performance. Shakespeare in the Park, what could be more classic? A Winter's Tale, as with most of Shakespeare plays it takes a little getting used to the language before the story really can unfold. 

Reading Shakespeare has never been easy, but there is point that your understanding or interest in the material starts to click. And what I didn't understand when reading was clarified by watching the actors as they told the tale.

It was a lovely evening, a slight threat of rain. And a well timed thunder clap.

July 6th we had a movie night at Kris' home. Fun time watching a movie without reading a book. Napoleon Dynamite.

The Great Gatsby was our next book selection and we got together to discuss the book and watch the Robert Redford version of the movie. (8/17/2024)

We had a taco night and ate outside with everyone bringing toppings for the tacos. I brought small empanadas to be hors d'oeuvres, my first attempt was just so so.

9/13/2024

The Alchemist, 6 of us attended. Kris (hosted), Lorraine, Stef, Peggy Ann, Marcie and me (Sharon).

We had some good food, fresh bread, squash ravioli, salad, ribs, cookies, eclairs, peaches, and Scotcharoos.

The book discussion was lead by Peggy Ann.

Sharon

This was written a while back and I am playing catch up with my posts.

Busy Gals having Busy Lives

The end of a school year has always been very busy for the members of our book group. Several being teachers with extra responsibilities. Not to mention those of us with kids in school finishing up a year full of sports, music performances, field trips and graduation festivities. As well as taking care of spouses and visiting extended family members. May has been extra busy for me with family visiting, and all the before mentioned activities.

Yet, we still plug along with our book group gatherings of which we have had for Alice's Adventures in Wonderland and Flowers for Algernon. Both having wonderful discussions. 

It has been a little tricky to manage everyone's schedule and to plan on a meeting time for a discussion and a movie. Thanks to Kris who typically organizes our meeting times. We know that it is always hit and miss. We have tried to arrange a set time each month for the discussions but each time we try we are missing too many people that it has just been working out that we have to go to the old system of gauging the length and difficulty of a book with the schedule availability of the book group members.

For our next book selection we will take advantage of an outdoor performance July 1st of The Winter's Tale by William Shakespeare at our town park. It should be a nice change from our usual dinner and a movie. 

Keep watching for the next post and book selection.

Sharon

P.S. The book discussion for Alice's Adventures in Wonderland happened on March 28 and

Flowers for Algernon was May 16.

Around the World in Eighty Days and Two book group events

To those who might be checking in on this blog and are curious as to how we pick a book...well, we try to pick our next book before the end of our book discussion evening. If we don't, we have a text group where we bring up a couple choices or we discuss among a few of us some books we have placed on an active list. Our group is very agreeable to what is selected. 

The Saturday after our last discussion I sat down at my laptop and looked up several popular current classic book lists. From there and my memory of books our group has been reluctant to read along with eliminating the books we have already read on those lists I compiled a short list that I placed at the bottom of this blog page. If a book was listed on multiple lists that we had not read, that was older than 50 years old and that we as a group had thrown out in the past I included it. There were many books that I didn't include. Other members of our group are encouraged to submit books that I will include on the list. The list is changeable. After a little more future exploration of the book list, I may move them to the right side where we may decide not to read them so we don't forget that we put them on the do not read list.

We like to watch a movie of the book after we discuss. There are usually several versions to chose from. The one we settled on for Around the World in Eighty Days was a three part series with Pierce Brosnan playing the main character of Mr. Fogg. While that version didn't follow the book half the time, we still enjoyed it. Also, each episode of three was around 1 1/2 hours so we watched part one with the discussion night and scheduled a second night with snacks while we finished with parts 2 and 3.

We always love the good food provided at our discussions. Several of our members were able to make it to at least one of the group discussions.

From our recollections around the table of having watched the Disney movie in our past, we were all surprised when we read the book to find there was no hot air balloon nor a dirigible as a form of transportation. Speaking for myself and a few others in the group, I found the book to hold my interest quite well and was quite action packed. It reminded me of the works of Edgar Rice Borough, who is the author of such works as the Tarzan of the Apes book series and the John Carter of Mars series and many more.

I particularly liked the character of Passportout. I'm sure I'm not alone in liking this character. He was quite the problem solver and a huge asset to the success of the mission of traveling around the world in 80 days.

Phileas Fogg came across to me as a social introvert and possibly on the spectrum, not picking up on social ques and having a gaming addiction similar to what young men have now days with his extreme liking of the game whist (similar to Spades). Mr. Fogg being a creature of strict time schedules seemed contrary to the Mr. Fogg who was able to transition into a calm traveler when faced with the challenges of his planned travel schedule having some unforeseen gaps, delays and obstacles, not to mention the challenges of an ever changing mealtime schedule. This also gave the character of Mr. Fogg a unique personality that intrigued me.

I liked the subtleness of the growing love of Aouda to the man who rescued her from her impending demise. It makes sense that she would have love for the man who cared for and protected her.

Detective Fix was a wild card for me. I never could predict if he was going to soften to the good character of Mr. Fogg or continue to be the pursuer.

As a member of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, I found the two chapters (25-26) about which Jules Verne portrayed Mormons to be the standard mixture of truth, myths and misinformation that continue to be spread by people who think they know about the church but are not informed practicing members of the church. However, colorful characters and practices of polygamy did exist in the time frame of this story. The church has not supported the earthly practice of polygamy since 1890, roughly 134 years. I do find it interesting that many authors find the church to be interesting subject matter to include in their works.

All in all, the book, the food and the association with the ladies in this group is always enjoyable!

Sharon

PS. This post was written prior to March 1, 2024. Book group meeting dates were February 16th and 23rd.

The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy

Greetings readers! This selection was inspired by Kris' husband Chip, who is a big fan of the book The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy by Douglas Adams.

All the group members were encouraged to wear PJs, bathrobe and bring their towel, because you should always know where your towel is when hitchhiking the galaxy.

As always we enjoyed amazing food. Peggy Ann brought out the French onion soup, one of my favorites I like to get from Applebee's. A lovely charcuterie board was presented by Kris. Others brought loaded Deviled eggs, bacon cheddar muffins, orange muffins, twice baked potatoes, chips and salsa and hummus, eclairs, fruit cocktail cake, cream cheese with pepper jelly and crackers. We love to have yummy food, it is a main draw for our discussions.

As we have over the years had book group members come and go, one will be leaving us in a few months but maybe not. She could always come back since she won't be too far away considering we are in a large state and are used to driving a bit, others may consider it too far. With the possible loss of a member, coincidentally we have gained a new member and are very happy to have her join our group. Welcome Nancy! Our group of regulars hovers around 8, give or take a few when the schedules infringe or permit attendance.

Our discussion seemed to be a mix of 'you really liked the book' or 'you weren't too crazy about it'. I had seen the movie before reading the book, but it had been a while since I had watched the movie. For me the names created by the writer were a little difficult to keep straight, but even a Charles Dickens novel gives me the same problem. The British humor also may have missed the target. We learned that a Ford Prefect was a car. Who would know that unless they were British?

It was interesting how the idea of the book title came long before the actual writing of the book and that there was a series before the book. And even more twisted, the movie is great but still quite different from the book in ways. So, if you are one who tends to get tired of the same thing over and over then you should be fine reading the book after you see the movie.

One of the many things I didn't know was that there were multiple books. After some guidance from Chip we figured that just reading book one of the five or so books would be sufficient and leave reading the rest up to us individually.

I was a little heart broken to learn that the author passed away relatively young, I am sure he had a few more interesting things to do with his career. Apparently, writing books wasn't his number one interest.

The characters in the book are interesting and creative all seem to be equally yoked in importance to the story and are highlighted with their own story.

Forgive me if I forget something of interest group members, you can always add a comment about something you found interesting.

At this book discussion we had our postponed gift exchange since several of our members were not going to be able to attend our book group Christmas party. It was a $15.00 max and themed 'favorite things'.

For our next book it was suggested by Lorraine, since she accidentally read Around the World in  Eighty Day by Jules Verne instead of The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy. She then had to hustle to finish HGG in time for the book discussion. 

I don't have a problem with it since I have been lobbying for a Jules Verne for quite a while. This will be a quick read so we will have a discussion very soon. Feb 15th?

Thanks for reading the classics with us.

Sincerely,

Sharon

Black Beauty by Anna Sewell

 Friday, September 29th we met at Kris's home for a discussion and movie of Black Beauty by Anna Sewell.  We were particularly pleased to be able to have our resident equestrian expert, Peggy Ann, present to share her knowledge and insight about horses and their care to help us understand the book better.

Here's a brief overview of the book from Wikipedia (which we all know is 100% trustworthy. Right . . .)

Black Beauty: His Grooms and Companions, the Autobiography of a Horse is an 1877 novel by English author Anna Sewell. It was composed in the last years of her life, during which she was bedridden and seriously ill. The novel became an immediate best-seller, with Sewell dying just five months after its publication, but having lived long enough to see her only novel become a success.With fifty million copies sold, Black Beauty is one of the best-selling books of all time. 

Black Beauty was Anna Sewell's first and only book.  She wrote it more for adults than children, as she was hoping to change the minds of the people of her day and culture to be more caring about animals and more particularly horses. She was successful in this as Black Beauty ended up being a very influential book. Today it is generally read as children's literature.

There were 7 of us present: Stephanie T,, Stephanie R, Peggy Ann, Merri, Kris, Lorraine, and Lorraine's mom, Joan. As usual, we had plenty of food! - chicken salad sandwiches, Swiss Barley soup, fresh melon, eclairs, relish tray, chocolate mousse, potato wedges, spinach artichoke dip. (I probably missed something.)

We watched the 1994 movie which got the best reviews on Rotten Tomatoes. We recognized a lot of the actors from other British TV we have watched so we did spend some time looking up all the other shows people were in on IMDB - a very worthwhile endeavor to help keep some of us awake.  I am happy to report that neither Merri nor Kris did not fall asleep!

Agatha Christie's The Mirror Crack'd from Side to Side

 As a place marker I will say we did have a book discussion about The Mirror Crack'd from Side to Side and watched the movie. I think we had the book discussion on May 19th. 

Lorraine brought slider and French Macrons, Sierra made them they were strawberry with cheesecake middles, Kris did a special tossed salad and a pan of Rice Krispy treats. Merri brought fresh pineapple and I brought some kind of dessert.

Kris de-catified her basement for the allergic Lorraine who attracts cat hair like a magnet.

As usual we enjoyed the food a long with a book discussion. Once again I have waited too long for my memory to recall any points of our discussion.

This was the second time I have read this book but it had been a long time between readings so it was almost like I had never read it before though I did know the basic story.

In recent news there was some discussion of the text of Agatha Christie's books to "rework to remove potentially offensive language"(The Guardian). So we thought we should read one while they were still original to the author. I don't know if this selection was on the reworking block.

The next selection is Emma by Jane Austin.

Discussion of The Hiding Place by Corrie Ten Boom

 We held our discussion for this book on April 7th.

I forgot to make a post for this selection. Wow, if I don't do it right away I forget any details of the discussion which is sort of what happened this time.

If any of the members feel inclined to make a mention of this book discussion you are welcome.

I thought the book itself was a worthwhile book and would recommend it to anyone interested in the subject matter of the Holocaust and the stories that came out of that history.

At the time I was reading of Corrie Ten Boom's arrest/capture when she was sick in bed, I also was very sick with a bad cold and could imagine how she felt at that time and how hard and uncomfortable she was. The book was one miracle after another, even the fleas were a miracle by being so infested that the guards avoid coming to their barracks which allowed the scriptures studies possible. The changes in the women living together in close quarters from contentious to kind to one another because of the bible studies.

Being currently in the age range of Corrie, I wondered how she was able to withstand the trauma, torture and hard work required of her in the encampment. A story of sheer will to live and help when the costs were so high.

The next book selection is The Mirror Crack'd from Side to Side by Agatha Christie.

Holes by Louis Sachar Book Discussion

 The snow was coming down like big heavy cornflakes, when the Busy Gals Classic Reading Society gathered to discuss the book Holes by Louis Sachar. By our meeting March 10th our book group has pretty much had enough winter and the weather conditions described in this book couldn't have been farther on the weather spectrum. Another winter storm was setting upon our area and one member 'on call' would have to miss due to an emergency delivery when a coworker saved her a two hour trip which allowed her to join our discussion. Our numbers were a skimpy three after I showed up and eventually rose to max out at five with the return of Stefanie (on-call) and Peggy Ann who had family circumstances keeping her away for several months. 

Warm and inviting as always our host Kris has been sharing her home the last few times. She once said she prefers to host because she doesn't have to go out in the winter weather.

Great food as always and a small celebration for Lorraine's upcoming birthday sparked off our evening of catching up and discussing the book.

Our birthday girl, who is always an interesting source of information shared the importance of a good first line in a book. And as a librarian, has found there are games that test her student's knowledge.  Also, demonstrating the important aspects of drawing a reader into the story by the first sentence of the book. She also alerted us to the importance of an accurate description of the book's expected contents in order to make a decision on whether to read it or not.

"There is no lake at Camp Green Lake." This is the first sentence of the book Holes. I bet you knew that. The five of us at book group loved this book. The characters are more colorful than the scene set at camp Green Lake. The movie is very close to the book. It should be, it's own author was part of the cast. Louis Sachar as Mr. Collingwood, from the Katherine Barlow scenes at Green Lake when there was a lake.

I got it wrong. I thought he was one of the lawmen. With the author on set it only seems right that he  would have had oversight on how the film was produced.

I thought it was a great story that connected the past with the present in an ancestral/genealogical way. I always enjoy a book that fills in the gaps with an extra story that helps to foreshadow what a reader hopes might come to light later on in the book.

I liked how Stanley genuinely seemed to care about Zero and really didn't seem to blame Zero for his incarceration at Camp Green Lake, forgiving without a second thought. It made forgiving a lot easier because of the humble nature of Zero and his willingness to make amends even before the truth about the shoes came out.

Our next selection is a book we have been talking about reading almost since the beginning. The Hiding Place by Corrie ten Boom.

The Witches by Roald Dahl Discussion

 In November the group selected The Witches by Roald Dahl to read but as the Christmas season was fast approaching we put that book aside to instead read a few short Christmas stories of our own choosing. Go around the table and do a short review and just plan to have a book group Christmas party. Some were The Little Matchstick Girl by Hans Christian Andersen read to the group by me (Sharon), Kris shared The Old Shoemaker by Leo Tolstoy. She shared that the shoemaker prayed to see the Christ and during the day different people in need came to his home and he fixed their shoes, gave them food and helped them.

It was suggested that rather than doing our usual Christmas white elephant gift exchange that we select a book that we would like to re-gift or purchase a new one and have a random wrapped book gift exchange. Then the giver of the book share why they love it or what they liked about it. Some of the books that were exchanged were a large volume of all the Jane Austin books which I got, yeah thanks Kris! Merri brought The Blue Castle by LM Montgomery, Karen brought The Hiding Place by Corrie Tin Boom, Stefanie shared her fabulously illustrated Princess Bride book and I gave a volume of Agatha Christie: Five Complete Miss Marple Novels and Lorraine brought A Train to Potevka by Mike Ramsdell. Make note of The Hiding Place and A Train to Potevka as possible future selections. 

We had this party on December 17th. I remember it being a great time with food and a game. I can't remember if there was a movie.

Last night, 1/27/2023, we did have our book discussion which included 7 of our members. A fine number for a good discussion. As always, our discussion seemed to turn to the topic of appropriate books, what is going on in the world of those books and how they view the subject matter under the current opinions and standards verses the original creation and intention - to entertain and not set out to offend certain groups or ideologies. Also, how the author may have liked or disliked the way the movie was made from his book. In this case we found that he did not like the first movie and considered removing his name. Many of us had already watched the first movie (1990 version) that had Anjelica Huston, Mai Zetterling and Rowan Atkinson in it. So, we opted to watch the new 2020 version which didn't get as good of ratings on Rotten Tomatoes. Still it had some noteworthy actors such as Octavia Spencer, Ann Hathaway, Stanley Tucci and Kristin Chenoweth to mention a few.

As always we enjoyed some lovely food before our discussion. We had come to realize that we must have at least one healthy offering and it is a must to have a dessert or two or three. We do have quite a few good cooks in the group and the others are lovely buyers of delicious treats to share. A well rounded reflection to accompany our discussion. From memory we had Sausage Tortellini soup with focaccia bread, veggie tray and dip, green salad, Cobb salad, apples with dessert cheese ball (recipe below) and caramel dip sauce, pizza rolls like dinner rolls not the frozen square kind - so good, and Lorraine's famous Trifle, strawberry this time I think. I hope I didn't forget anything.

I brought something I have not tried before. A sweet dessert style cheese ball. When I told my husband what it was he didn't think it sounded good. I told him I thought the ladies would enjoy it. They did! Here is the link to the recipe some members asked for. Chocolate Peanut Butter Cake Cheese Ball I did not take a picture of it but if you can imagine a large grapefruit sized mudball rolled in peanut butter chips with sliced apples piled around on a plate then there you go. Definitely better than mud!

I did look at Kris' daughter-in-law's food blog The Food Charlatan for a recipe like it but she didn't have one. So, challenge to her to come up with a sweet version of a cheese ball for her blog. There are many other sweet/dessert cheese balls on the net of course and I am up for trying another one. Lemon would be another flavor I would be really interested in making.

Our group is open to offering fashion advice as well. Wink wink.

Our next selection is Holes by Louis Sachar. Published in 1998 and likely on school reading lists which is a qualifier for this book groups reading parameters.

Madame Bovary Discussion

We had our 74th book group discussion over the book Madame Bovary by Gustave Flaubert. 

I decided to inter-library loan my copy since our library didn't have a copy. While I waited I decided to find a podcast to listen to. I listened on and off while reading the first half of the book and then committed to solely read the last half . When I finished the book I went to Sparknotes.com and took a quiz and I was able to get more answers correct over the second half that I actually read. It is too easy to have my mind wonder while listening to a book. Still the names were hard to keep straight. I found this book to be somewhat similar to a few other books I was familiar with or have read in our book group. 

We talked a bit about how Emma's desire for a better level of lifestyle and desire to rise to a higher class of society was the temptation and path to her financial and moral downfall.

I didn't really like Emma after she married Charles. She seemed immature and vain. There weren't too many characters that were very likable. They did represent various faults in people and often manipulative behaviors. A lot of villainous characters are master manipulators.

As usual we Busy Gal Classic Reading Society members enjoyed some lovely food to eat over our opportunity to catch up on our lives and book discussion. Kris made some yummy creamy chili and tortilla chips, there was a delicious Pear Salad with fancy cheese, lasagna, rolls, cream cheese with pepper jelly and crackers, Faux Chocolate cake made without sugar - very good - tasted like brownie, Lazy Day cake made with lots of sugar and butter, rice crispy treats and mini cheese cakes. Members that attended were Kris (host) Lorraine, Stefanie, Karen, Stephanie, PeggyAnn and myself.

I made the Lazy Day cake and the Gals seemed to like it. Here is a Taste of Home recipe but not the one I used Lazy Day Cake. I trust it is just as good.

We watched the movie Madame Bovary. I needed to get up early the next day and left about halfway through the movie. I'm not a late night person. I don't really think I ever was one. 

We decided as a group that our next book will be The Witches by Roald Dahl.

Once again the Busy Gals Classic Reading Society book group met to discuss our most recent selection which was The African Queen by C. S. Forester.

The summer, being a busy time for many group members makes reading a little harder and with school starting for our Busy Gal teaching members getting this book read was a challenge. For myself, the book I ordered came after we planned the date to meet to discuss. So, I carried the book everywhere I went and read at the dentist and on a four hour trip home. It does feel satisfying to finish reading a book.

Of course we always have very nice food. Peggy Ann's Chicken bundles, wraps, veggies and dip, crackers and pepper jelly cream cheese, Key lime pies, island pudding, warm peach cobbler, zucchini bread and zucchini chips. Forgive me if I forget something. Each lady puts so much effort into the special dishes they bring. It's awesome!

Our discussion about the book was a little brief since several had not finished the book. We did what we could but didn't get in too deep in the discussion. Some members didn't mind discussing and said it was the natural consequence of not finishing the book.

After eating we enjoyed the movie with Humphry Bogart and Katherine Hepburn. After reading the book and being many years older than the last time I watched the movie or part of it. I was able to follow and understand the story line better. Almost all the time the movie is different from the book and this was no different. The movie was relatively close to the book and discreet as you would expect a movie from the 1950's to be. And a variant of the ending.

Our group included Kris who hosted - thanks Kris! Lorraine, Stefanie, Karen, Stephanie, Peggy Ann, Merri, Sierra and myself.

I have missed several summaries from the last few book selections but we have discussed Tuck Everlasting and The Princess Bride. Which included a bonus gathering since summer schedules couldn't always line up.

Stay tuned to see what we read next.

Keep Reading the Classics!

Sharon 

Call of the Wild

 The Call of the Wild book discussion was very nice. Thanks, Lorraine, for hosting. 

We started with some very good food again! Veggies and dip, deviled eggs - delicious, lasagna soup and bread, a great salad, gnocchi and some great desserts that included a black forest trifle, cheesecake and cookies. Should have taken a picture. Enough about food, but to be honest our book group meetings wouldn't be so great without the great food, right? We try to bring our best.

The Call of the Wild was about a dog and from his perspective. The biggest issue came from our dog training expert Peggy Ann who has firsthand experience with dogs and was able to throw some realistic light on the nature of dogs. Now, this seemed to be an unusual circumstance in the book that one might not have with the average domesticated dog. 

The time is during the gold rush of the Klondike and rustic travel in Alaska was sleds driven by dogs. Buck, a domestic dog is snatched and sold from his first family in California to be shipped to Alaska and violently broken to serve as a member of a dog sled team. He goes through several very bad and some good human interactions until the very last John Thornton who he seems to bond with and love. 

The call of the wild has some violent dog fights and develops his predatory survive instincts.

Our group had a good discussion that included talking about dogs and the violence in the book and we seemed to bring in current events to our discussion.

One of the humorous moments involved the pronunciation of the word 'pianist'. One word that needs to be pronounced correctly or you end up with something completely inappropriate to the conversation. You can look up the pronunciation for yourself since I like to keep this blog family friendly.

After the discussion we watched the movie Call of the Wild that stared Harrison Ford. We shared several comments on the artistic license of the movie maker. There was only a small percentage of violence in the movie that was in the book. And of course, another movie that is not true to the book either. So, if you didn’t finish reading the book and watching that movie won’t ruin the book for you. Just don’t take any tests on the book after watching that movie.

Our next book will be The Spy Who Came in from the Cold by John le Carré.

Sharon

 

 Bleak House Episode Recaps for 3, 4, & 5

Here are some episode summary's for episodes 3, 4 & 5 for those that haven't watched them.  Hopefully, this will catch you up before we finish the series.

Episode: 3

Richard (Patrick Kennedy) puts further strain on his relationship with Jarndyce (Denis Lawson) by announcing his intention to quit the law and join the army.

Jarndyce warns him that this must be his final choice of career, and that he needs to take his employment seriously, since no good will ever come of his Chancery hopes.

Charley Neckett (Katie Angelou) turns up as a not wholly welcome gift for Esther. Jarndyce has employed her as Esther's (Anna Maxwell Martin) maid without consulting her first.

Elsewhere, Caddy (Natalie Press) and Prince (Bryan Dick) announce their engagement to Old Mr Turveydrop (Matthew Kelly). He is most displeased, until they pledge to work together to make his life more agreeable.

Gridley's (Tony Haygarth) on the run from the law, following Tulkinghorn's arrest warrant. He asks his old friend, Miss Flite (Pauline Collins), if she can take him in.

But she points him in the direction of Sergeant George (Hugo Speer), a noble ex-soldier who now owns a gym. Among his fencing pupils is Richard, who's learning the arts of war in preparation for joining his regiment.

Unfortunately for George, he has become embroiled in Tulkinghorn's (Charles Dance) investigation. Clamb (Tom Georgeson) has managed to identify Nemo (John Lynch) as a Captain Hawdon, in debt to the moneylender Smallweed (Phil Davis).

George was a close friend of Hawdon's during their army days, and he now also owes Smallweed money.

Tulkinghorn desperately wants to get hold of a sample of Hawdon's hand-writing for comparison. He sends Smallweed to blackmail George into providing a letter from Hawdon. But George isn't interested in helping.

Meanwhile, Inspector Bucket (Alun Armstrong) follows Miss Flite to the gym where a dying Gridley is discovered. Before an arrest can be made, Gridley passes away.

George (Hugo Speer) meets Tulkinghorn (Charles Dance) to discuss his demands, but is suspicious of the lawyer's motives. Smallweed (Phil Davis) is desperate to squeeze George for all he can, but Tulkinghorn instructs him to bide his time.

Back at the gym, George worries what the future may hold for himself and his assistant, Phil Squod (Michael Smiley).

Guppy's (Burn Gorman) still pursuing his interest in Esther (Anna Maxwell Martin). He pays another visit to an extremely drunken Krook (Johnny Vegas). At the mention of the name Hawdon, Krook allows him a tantalising glimpse of his love letters, but he won't let Guppy get his hands on them.

The Dedlocks receive a visitor to Chesney Wold – Mr Rouncewell, the housekeeper’s wealthy son. His son has fallen in love with Lady Dedlock's (Gillian Anderson) maid, Rosa (Emma Williams), and Rouncewell wants to take her away to be educated.

While Sir Leicester (Timothy West) takes the offer as an affront to the nobility of his household, Lady Dedlock is acutely concerned at the thought of losing the girl who has become like a daughter to her.

Later, Lady Dedlock receives another visit, this time from Guppy. He outlines his recent discoveries – including the fact that Esther's real name is Hawdon. She agrees to his offer to retrieve the letters that Krook stole from Nemo (John Lynch).

Bleak House also receives a visitor - Allan Woodcourt's mother (Di Botcher), who makes it clear that she doesn't see Esther as a worthy partner for her son.

Esther and Charley (Katie Angelou) discover that Jo (Harry Eden) is seriously ill. They find him with Jenny (Charlie Brooks) and take him home to Bleak House so that they can care for him, ignoring Skimpole's (Nathaniel Parker) advice to turf him out.

However, in the middle of the night, Jo mysteriously disappears...

Episode 4

The residents of Bleak House search for Jo (Harry Eden), who's disappeared during the night. 

But he's been spirited away by Tulkinghorn (Charles Dance) and Bucket (Alun Armstrong) to stop him revealing anything about his meeting with them, and his earlier encounter with Lady Dedlock (Gillian Anderson).

The next morning, further disaster strikes, when Esther (Anna Maxwell Martin) falls ill with smallpox. Her very life hangs in the balance. But she eventually regains consciousness and looks set to recover.

In pursuit of the letters for Lady Dedlock, Guppy (Burn Gorman) heads over to Krook's (Johnny Vegas) house. There, he finds Miss Flite (Pauline Collins) and Snagsby (Sean McGinley) worrying about the peculiar smell in the air. Venturing inside, Guppy is shocked to discover that Krook is dead.

The Coroner's (Peter Guinness) verdict is spontaneous combustion. Guppy is thwarted again, as Smallweed (Phil Davis) claims ownership of all of Krook's property.

Disappointed, Guppy tells Lady Dedlock of his failure to find the letters. As he is about to leave, they are surprised by Tulkinghorn, who senses that Guppy is up to something.

Tulkinghorn and Smallweed decide that the time has come to call in Sgt George's (Hugo Speer) debt.

Esther (Anna Maxwell Martin) admits to Jarndyce (Denis Lawson) that she's given up hope of a relationship with Woodcourt (Richard Harrington). 

She feels her disfigurement makes it impossible for any man to love her. Jarndyce agonises over whether to keep his own feelings for her concealed.

Guppy makes a big mistake by letting slip to Smallweed (Phil Davis) about Nemo's letters.

Tulkinghorn (Charles Dance) is close to piecing together Lady Dedlock's (Gillian Anderson) secret. Sergeant George (Hugo Speer) reluctantly provides a handwriting sample, which matches the legal documents penned by Nemo (John Lynch). It proves without doubt that Nemo was Captain Hawdon.

Meanwhile, Esther, Ada (Carey Mulligan), Charley (Katie Angelou) and Jarndyce pay Boythorn (Warren Clarke) another visit. The girls take a walk through Chesney Wold where they encounter Lady Dedlock, who asks to speak to Esther alone.

Lady Dedlock reveals that she is Esther's mother. The shocked Esther learns that Lady Dedlock had been told her baby had died and only recently learned of her existence.

Despite the revelation, Lady Dedlock insists no-one should know their secret, and they should never meet again.

EPISODE 5

Esther's (Anna Maxwell Martin) in shock following Lady Dedlock's (Gillian Anderson) confession that she's her mother. But she keeps her word and refuses to tell Ada (Carey Mulligan) her secret.

Meanwhile, with Boythorn (Warren Clarke) and Jarndyce (Denis Lawson) away on business, Esther and Ada go to the local pub, where Esther is surprised to see Richard (Patrick Kennedy).

Richard's interest in Chancery has become an obsession, and Esther is worried when she discovers that, on Skimpole's (Nathaniel Parker) advice, he has now employed his own lawyer, the vampiric Mr Vholes (Dermot Crowley).

Esther can see that Vholes intends to bleed Richard dry, but there is little she can do to prevent it.

Smallweed's (Phil Davis) many hours of searching through Krook's (Johnny Vegas) old legal papers finally pays off when he discovers Captain Hawdon's (John Lynch) bundle of love letters.

Guppy (Burn Gorman) offers Smallweed money for the letters. But, Tulkinghorn (Charles Dance) steps out of the shadows and warns him off. Much to Smallweed's astonishment – and great delight – Tulkinghorn offers him a much bigger sum for the letters.

Having gathered all his evidence, Tulkinghorn visits Chesney Wold. There, he shows his hand, relating Lady Dedlock's scandalous history to herself and Sir Leicester (Timothy West) as if it were that of 'a townsman's of Mr Rouncewell'. Sir Leicester finds it too shocking to be believed.

When they are alone, Lady Dedlock tells Tulkinghorn that she will flee Chesney Wold that night, before the scandal breaks. But he turns the tables on her, claiming that, in order to protect the family honour, he will keep her secret, as long as she does nothing. Now, she is totally in his power.

Tulkinghorn (Charles Dance) believes Lady Dedlock (Gillian Anderson) is in his power. But she continues to defy him by sending Rosa (Emma Williams) away to save her from any impending scandal.

Back in London, Hortense (Lilo Baur) angers Tulkinghorn by accusing him of breaking his promise to find her a position as a lady's maid.

Bucket (Alun Armstrong) later drags her down to the station to give her a warning. He makes Hortense write down her address, promising to keep an eye on her.

Esther (Anna Maxwell Martin) plans a visit to London, where she and Ada (Carey Mulligan) see the newly pregnant Caddy (Natalie Press).

However, she has an ulterior motive for the trip: seeing Guppy (Burn Gorman) to tell him to stop investigating her past. When Esther lifts her veil and shows him her scarred face, Guppy's only too happy to agree to her wishes as long as he can retract his proposal.

Ada and Esther go to see Richard and they find him at court. He is soon leaving to join his regiment in Deal, but Vholes (Dermot Crowley) and Skimpole (Nathaniel Parker) are worried by his enormous debts.

Back at Bleak House, Jarndyce (Denis Lawson) tells the girls that Sir Leicester (Timothy West) has invited them to Chesney Wold. Sir Leicester's worried that they may have been offended by his lack of courtesy when they visited Boythorn (Warren Clarke).

Esther's horrified by the idea, and reveals to Jarndyce that Lady Dedlock (Gillian Anderson) is her mother. As he comforts her, Jarndyce comes clean about his feelings and asks Esther to marry him.

Meanwhile, Sergeant George's (Hugo Speer) furious when Tulkinghorn breaks his promise not to call in his debt, leaving him in financial ruin.

Discussion of The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn

Friday April 30th we had a fun night discussing The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn. We had a good group of 8 ladies, Kris, Karen, Lorraine, Stefanie, Merri, Peggy Ann, Stephanie and Sharon. We enjoyed some Huckleberry Finn/Mark Twain themed food. We had lots to choose from: Fried chicken, biscuits, stuffed baked potatoes, Celery-Pea-Tuna salad canoes, pickled eggs, Key lime cake, bite size Oreo cheesecakes, buttermilk pie, bread pudding, Apple Dumplings and molasses taffy candy. 

Thanks to all the ladies who brought good food and good discussion. After our discussion we enjoyed watching the movie of the book produced in 1993.

We hope those of our group that weren't able to come this time will be able to come next time. 

As friends we can have open conversations allowing us the freedom to share about our lives, concerns and opinions. The classic literature we read can teach lessons and help us understand periods of time in society, history and our world. Classic literature will always be referred to in the media and it is important that we have a frame of reference in order to be more intelligent listeners. Some of our books have political links or parallels and those are important discussions to have. By discussing those ideas as a group and hearing different points of view, we can get a better understanding and gain a desire to seek out resources to be better informed. The goal of this book group continues to "be well read in great classic literature, to study the grand masters, to become more intelligent, “to seek ye out of the best books words of wisdom” D&C 88:118."

We are looking forward to getting into our next book Bleak House.

Sharon S

 Bleak House & Charles Dickens Info

Hi Fellow Book Lovers! 

As a reminder, at our meeting/party on Friday, we decided to pick the 3rd Friday of each month as our regular book club meeting.  We will next meet Friday, June 18, so put that on your calendar. 

I know that our next read, Bleak House by Charles Dickens, is a massive read and I get that some of you (Lorraine 😉) are not that excited about it.  I have to admit that I am. It's been quite a while since we have read something really meaty and I'm ready for a challenge! I know that without this book club I would not have read even half of the novels on our list. I feel pretty proud of all of us for any effort we've made over the past 10 years to read any or all of these classics. I'm pretty certain most of us will not have finished Bleak House by then, but hopefully, we will all have made a start so we can watch the first couple of episodes of the mini-series. It's 8 episodes, each about an hour long, so perhaps we should meet for a movie watch party before the 18th? Suggestions? Ideas? I'm always up for another evening of food and fun!

As I mentioned on Friday, if you have an Audible account this is a free download.  If you don't subscribe to Audible you can download a podcast app (Apple podcast if you have an iPhone).  There are a bunch on the App Store and they are all free.  After you download an app, search for "Bleak House" and you'll find several free podcasts of narration of the entire book.  I even found one podcast titled "The Great Books of Literature" and Episode 1 is an hour-long discussion of Bleak House and why it is considered one of the great books of Western Civilization. I'm looking forward to listening to it. If I learn something interesting (I'm sure I will), I'll be sure and share it!

I thought that perhaps, to help us along and give a little encouragement to us all I'd post some regular updates about the book, its themes, and ideas.  Here's a photo of the original book and a brief intro:

Dickens’s ninth novel, published in monthly parts in 1852–53, with illustrations by Hablot Knight Browne, issued in one volume in 1853. Often characterized as the first of the late novels, Bleak House describes England as a bleak house, devastated by an irresponsible and self-serving legal system, symbolically represented by the Lord Chancellor ensconced in foggy glory in the Court of Chancery. Dickens uses two narrators, a third-person narrator who reports on the public life in the worlds of law and fashion and a first-person narrator, Esther Summerson, a young woman who tells her personal history. By this double narration, he is able to connect and contrast Esther’s domestic story with broad public concerns. Esther’s narrative traces her discovery of her identity as the illegitimate child of Lady Dedlock. Abandoned in infancy and raised by an abusive aunt, Esther is a self-denying, unassertive young woman, grateful for any recognition she receives from the patriarchal society around her. Her situation encapsulates that of the larger society, in which traditions of aristocratic privilege deny human needs and desires and patriarchal institutions like the courts make orphans of society’s children, enable slums and disease to flourish, and suppress individual autonomy by a “philanthropy” that makes dependents of its recipients.

Happy Reading1

Kris 

 

 

Discussion Night for The Lord of the Flies

 It was - 4 degrees the evening we enjoyed our book group discussion of The Lord of the Flies. Thankfully, the home of our book group host was toasty warm. Our numbers few, four! Our group like many things effected by the virus this last year has been hesitant to resume our meetings as often. There are always other reasons too, we are 'Busy Gals' as we call ourselves. We are literally busy in our lives even with the pandemic. We miss the members who can't make it but with four it still made an enjoyable conversation.

The Lord of the Flies takes place on a tropical island. A group of school boys with no adult supervision try to survive on an island. Some hoping for a speedy rescue while others seem exhilarated by the savage need for the hunt for meat. Another element is the boy's active imaginations of a beast on the island.  

We found the book to be more violent than any of us had remembered.

During this time of national unrest we found a political connection referring to the way the boys governed themselves. 

After enjoying a good discussion we watched the 1963 version of the movie.

Our next book selection will be Island of the Blue Dolphins. 

Maybe we should read "Lord of the Flies"! Here is a true story of some young boys who were shipwrecked on an island for more than a year, but they worked together to survive!

The photo is of the boys after they had grown up & were working for the captain who rescued them. https://www.theguardian.com/books/2020/may/09/the-real-lord-of-the-flies-what-happened-when-six-boys-were-shipwrecked-for-15-months?CMP=fb_gu&utm_medium=Social&utm_source=Facebook&fbclid=IwAR0T9NzPTAuWFWcC4SPmI9FJ21X7ESYviHR_4uFV1GJiAXf5IAPTPsVk0Ak#Echobox=1589017302