DECEMBER 2015 BOOKERS MINUTES & MUSINGS, Our Souls at Night by Kent Haruf

Loneliness deepens when the only comfort you’re afforded is a gentle breeze through an open window in spring after a cold dark winter….then something happens that makes you want to shout over the rooftops rather than whisper under the blankets….

24 Bookers visited the joyful home of Jean Alexander for an Arbor Island Christmas, toasting the season with edibles, drinkables, friends, and devotees of the written word. Many thanks to Bonnie Magee for coordinating the menu and to those who answered the call for food and beverages; to the elves that kept the spirits flowing; and to Lee Alexander and Patsy Dehn for paving the way for our presentation about two widows fighting loneliness and finding a way to fill the void.

New member, Sheri Green, visited for the first time and we hope to see more of her in the future. Also, we all delighted in our special guests making a return appearance, Penny Barshop and Gloria Tucker. Welcome!!

Cherry Fugitt shared the following message encapsulating the fiber of our community, and we would like to dedicate it to those in need of reassurances that you and your families are in our thoughts and prayers and in particular, today as David Barrett, husband of Gloria and brother to Barbara Creach undergoes major surgery.

       “Friends are angels who lift us to our feet when our wings have trouble remembering how to fly.”

After hanging up his valet hat Lee Alexander assumed the role of Chaplain Alexander conducting a celebration of life memorial service to the late author, Alan Kent Haruf who died at seventy-one, days before completing Our Souls at Night. It was a long road to fame as he wrote several novels bringing critical acclaim, but no readers until at age fifty- six he became an “overnight sensation” with Plainsong, bringing awards, praise, readers, and a distinctive writing regimen. Every morning he would sit down at his manual typewriter, pull a cap over his eyes, and “write blind” enabling his creative side to flourish. “I was storytelling, not polishing.” With a fatal diagnosis of incurable lung disease, he called on a muse or spiritual guidance to fuel his desire to leave a final legacy in a notable career. Our Souls at Night, born one chapter at a time, netted a spare yet eloquent, bittersweet yet inspiring work of art. He desired to be remembered as a person - loving and compassionate toward other people…as a writer, someone who had a small talent but worked the best he could at using that talent.” Mission accomplished Mr. Haruf.

Patsy Dehn narrated a synopsis of the story of a man and a woman, both “up in years” coming together to wrestle with the events of their lives and their hopes for the imminent future. Set in the familiar setting of the small town of Holt, Colorado, home to all of the author’s fiction, Addie Moore pays an unexpected visit to neighbor, Louis Waters, both widows, living alone in houses empty of family, both enduring lonely nights, especially with no one to talk with. The drama played out in the Alexander’s master bedroom with JoDee in the role of Louis and MN playing Addie narrating their thoughts to tell Mr. Haruf’s story. Addie is in bed pondering how different this arrangement is…hoping it’s a good different, while Louis climbs in on the other side, thinking, he’s either crazy or maybe the luckiest man alive. The script is attached. MN and I hope we’ve conveyed how they felt, their doubts, their fears, the excitement, the pain, and what they discovered as the remedy to loneliness, especially at night.

One of the mainstays of Bookers is how we strive to put ourselves in the shoes of others, and to find a way to bring the book out of the pages and into the forefront of our discussions. We talked about choices – what we might do if given the same ultimatum Addie faced as she only had one child left and only one grandchild. We shared personal stories, hoped for solutions rather than giving into the finality of decisions; we worried about Jamie…how he would react when love disappeared again and he realized he was the bargaining chip for a relationship with his grandmother. We asked how loneliness often makes us do things out of character. Some in the group displayed displeasure of the abrupt ending and frustration that no other options presented themselves for a “happy-ever-after” ending. Maybe the author ran out of time or maybe his ending just mirrors life. Thanks to everyone for being such a good audience. Louis and Addie, MN and JoDee appreciate the time you spent with us!

                                   On the business side

Our tribute (Bookers & Bridge) to Lois Welch is being completed and Patsy Dehn and Jean Alexander will let us know when it is complete and again we appreciate your generosity in funding this project in her honor.

The results of Goodreads “Best of the Year” are in. Winning the fiction category, Harper Lee’s Go Set a Watchman with over thirty thousand votes…and Our Souls at Night, ninth overall with over ten thousand votes! The Nightingale won the historical fiction category overwhelmingly with over fifty-seven thousand votes. We’ve read two out of three!

Note the changes below: We are, with the blessing of Patty Evans, replacing our January selection, The Secret Chord, with another option in order for MN and me to have a chance to read this work of historical fiction. We respect Patty’s opinion and appreciate her consideration to delay this piece to allow us to form our opinion of the choice. We’ve received some very negative comments from another one of our respected readers, so we feel we need to dive into this deeper to see if we are comfortable with the recommendation. We hope you all understand. In January’s slot, we’ve selected the classic, The Color Purple, by Alice Walker, first published in 1982, a Pulitzer Prize winner the following year, premiered as a movie in 1985, and is currently playing on Broadway. Written in epistolary form, it is the story of two sisters, one a missionary in Africa, the other a child-wife living in the South, detailing how love transforms and cruelty disfigures the human spirit.

Jean Alexander discovered a conflict with the dates of the February meeting, so we’ve moved her review of Winter Garden to April and have replaced it with The Rosie Project about a brilliant yet socially inept professor of genetics who decides it’s time he finds a wife and develops a methodical process to find the perfect partner.

Beverly Dossett recommended If You Find Me by Emily Murdoch. We’ll be checking it out. Thanks so much.

                               COLOR CODING SYSTEM

                               WHITE:         LIGHT READ

                               PINK:             MODERATELY CHALLENGING

                               RED:              CHALLENGING

January 12, 2016:                  The Color Purple by Alice Walker                                       

RED

                                                Home of: Rebecca Brisendine

                                                Guest Reviewer: Penny Barshop

February 9^th:                         The Rosie Project by Graeme Simsion

                                                PINK

                                                Home of: Daryl Daniels

                                                Reviewer: Kay Robinson

March 8^th:                              TBD (Possibly, The Secret Chord)

April 12^th:                               Winter Garden by Kristin Hannah

                                                PINK

Home of Kay Robinson

Reviewer: Jean Alexander

May 17^th:                                Wine & Cheese evening meeting

                                                Note later date

                                                A Man Called Ove by Fredrik Backman

                                                PINK

                                                Home of: Beverly Dossett

                                                Reviewer: Jean McSpadden

Summer Break:                     June, July, & August

                                                Summer Read, TBD

September 13^th:                      Beginning of Bookers’ 12^th year

Happy Reading,

Louis and Addie will be thinking of you as you turn back the bedcovers, especially at night.

JoDee

NOVEMBER 2015 BOOKERS MINUTES & MUSINGS, The Nightingale by Kristin Hannah

When did you find out who you are…or have you?

                        “In Flanders fields the poppies blow, between the crosses, row on row.”

The poppy is a symbol of support for our veterans; its origin is in this poem written by a Canadian military physician in honor of those who died in a Belgian field in the Great War. We would love to take credit for scheduling this wonderful book the day before we celebrate those who served in the name of freedom, but we “cannot tell a lie”… but coincidences are often timely.

16 Bookers gathered at the home of Melanie Prebis to discuss arguably the most universally accepted Bookers’ selection in our history. One had to look very hard to find fault with Kristin Hannah’s portrayal of two sisters, each providing a tutorial in survival amongst the German occupation of France during World War II. We were happy Leslie was able to join us this month, and a special thank you to Rokhshie Malone for whetting our taste buds with Scotland’s own Walkers pure butter shortbread.

The cast of Bernie Crudden and Company including Mary Jacobs, Pat Faherty, and Kay Robinson, with a cameo appearance from Cherry Fugitt, began the commentary of this novel with Bernie in the voice of Vianne. She told us about the men in her life beginning with the father who gave her away, Antoine, the love of her life, the moral German, Captain Beck, and the vile German, Von Richter, her adopted son, Daniel, and the son conceived by rape who became the salvation to a marriage, Julien. Mother Superior Marie-Therese offered Vianne a perspective that saved her life. “Don’t think about who they are. Think about who you are and what sacrifices you can live with, and what will break you.” In 1995, when Vianne returned to Paris, her legacy solidified in how she responded to the question of what would you do to keep your family safe? Her son, Julien, knew his mother as ordinary, but he learned how extraordinary she was.

Mary Jacob, in the voice of Isabelle, told of a young girl orphaned at four, abandoned by her father, who spent her entire life trying not to feel disposable. Some might say with reckless abandonment, she defied all odds by championing the message of Charles de Gaulle encouraging the French Resistance movement to the occupation. Her hero, Edith Cavell, saved hundreds of lives in the Great War, saying, “patriotism is not enough.” Following suit, Isabelle adopted the philosophy of being bold rather than meek… “If you jump off a cliff at least you’ll fly before you fall.” Cherry’s comments, read by Pat, indicated Isabelle didn’t look at herself as brave or a hero. She had nothing to lose but herself. Vianne was the epitome of both. She stood up in the face of losing everything, her home, family, marriage, friends, respect, and integrity, but sacrificed whatever it took to keep some bit of normality while staring at despair at every turn.

Kay Robinson asked whom we would identify with, Vianne, the rule follower, or Isabelle, the rebel? We determined the world probably needs an equal share of those who go by the book and those who don’t bother opening it. We shared stories of ancestors and their plights during the war torn years; the war from Europe’s view, shared by Rokhshie growing up in London, painted another picture of the devastation, and if you visit Normandy, the impact of what was lost and gained, is a visual reminder of the sacrifices of war.

  STANDING OVATION LADIES!!!!!!

This novel told us the story from the women of the war who looked morality in the eye and endured its destruction. This was a two Kleenex box for me.

                                      COLOR CODING SYSTEM

                                      WHITE:         LIGHT READ

                                       PINK:             MODERATELY CHALLENGING

                                       RED:              CHALLENGING

December 8^th:                         Our Souls at Night by Kent Haruf

                                                PINK                                     

Holiday Brunch, Bonnie Magee, Food Czar

                                                Home of: Jean Alexander

                                                Reviewers: TBD

January 12, 2016:                  The Secret Chord by Geraldine Brooks

                                                RED

                                                Home of: Rebecca Brisendine

                                                Reviewer: Patty Evans

February 9^th:                         Winter Garden by Kristin Hannah

                                                PINK

                                                Home of: Daryl Daniels

                                                Reviewer: Jean Alexander

March 8^th:                              TBD

April 12^th:                               TBD

                                                Home of Kay Robinson

May 17th                                Wine & Cheese evening meeting

                                                Note later date

                                                A Man Called Ove by Fredrik Backman

                                                PINK

                                                Home of: Beverly Dossett

                                                Reviewer: Jean McSpadden

“A poet is a nightingale who sits in darkness and sings to cheer its own solitude with sweet sounds; his auditors are as men entranced by the melody of an unseen musician, who feel that they are moved and softened, yet know not whence or why.” Percy Shelley

Happy Reading,

JoDee

OCTOBER 2015 BOOKERS MINUTES & MUSINGS, The Silent Sister by Diane Chamberlain

                                     Families leave us with a lifetime of dusty memories.

    Can we respect their significance and move past their sentimentality sated with love?

17 Bookers gathered to discuss this novel by the bestselling author of twenty-four books published in more than twenty languages. A Diane Chamberlain book is about relationships and her background in psychology provides knowledge of what makes people tick and she uses that skill to create diverse and multi-layered characters. In The Silent Sister the protagonist, Riley MacPherson, is the only one trustworthy in a large cast of players, each with individual agendas, motivations, and secrets. Ms. Chamberlain uses the prologue to let us in on the big secret that drives the novel by strongly hinting that Riley’s sister Lisa, who she thought had died twenty years ago, was alive. As the story unfolds, secrets are revealed, which gradually leads us to completing the puzzle, answering who, why, and when for each character.

If you take the elements of story and the characters involved, it’s staggering to list how many subjects are touched on in his wonderful novel. We have a musical prodigy accused of murdering her violin teacher whose father and friend, both ex U.S. Marshalls skilled at making people disappear, help fake her suicide. We have a brother who’s a mentally troubled Iraq war veteran living like a hermit on the edge of a family owned trailer park who says, “It’s not my mind that’s sick…it’s my soul.” We have a mother’s best friend, who turns out to be more than a friend to a father, and a sister who finds out she’s a daughter and her biological mother is part of a lesbian couple who have two adopted children. And the list goes on, but in spite of all the twists and turns, the novel is “parceled out so skillfully, that disbelief remains until the satisfying if not entirely plausible ending.”

Our discussion revolved around what overall message the author tried to communicate to the reader. Was it family secrets, relationships, or what lengths we would go to protect our family? We talked about why Frank felt the need to pay Tom $500.00 a month for years to keep the secret that Lisa was alive since Tom stood to lose as much if not more if he revealed his part in the suicide plan. The question of why Danny was so angry with Lisa revealed conflicting opinions. On one hand, he felt deprived as a child because his parent’s world revolved around Lisa’s music, and even after her so-called death, his mother fell into a deep depression, keeping Lisa at the forefront of the family even after she was gone. Another theory centered on his age at the time of Lisa’s death…he was old enough to feel the full impact of her loss and to doubt his importance within the family unit. I forgot to ask the question that had been bothering me, and as it turns out, the answer is in Chapter 18. Who was the woman in the prologue watching as the police tried to remove the yellow kayak from the frozen river? The answer is subtle, and the author wishes she had been clearer as she’s asked that a lot, but it was Verniece. We discussed the importance of the pendant as it tied the story all together, and whether or not the violin teacher’s wife ever found out the truth. And, as always, we shared personal stories related to families and relationships and even talked about a “suppressed desire party”….who would you be? I can see the party-planners’ wheels churning already.

                                          On the business side:

ROOM, the movie, is due out in the fall. Emma Donoghue began drafting the screenplay even before the novel published. We’ll be able to see the story of a little boy, Jack, growing up with his mother in a locked room and we hope to be able to witness this as a group. Details to follow.

Pulitzer Prize winning author of Olive Kitteridge, Elizabeth Strout, will release My Name is Lucy Barton on January 16, 2016 where a simple hospital visit becomes a portal to the most tender relationship of all – the one between mother and daughter.

We discussed Geraldine Brooks’ new historical fiction, The Secret Chord, about the most famous boy harpist, King David. On the recommendation of Patty Evans we’ve chosen it as our January selection.

                                           COLOR CODING SYSTEM

                                           WHITE:       LIGHT READ 

                                            PINK:          MODERATELY CHALLENGING

                                            RED:            CHALLENGING

November 10^th                       The Nightingale by Kristin Hannah

                                                RED

                                                Home of: Melanie Prebis

Reviewer: Bernie Crudden to spearhead the project with Pat Faherty, Kay Robinson, Sandy Molander, and Mary Jacobs

December 8^th:                         Our Souls at Night by Kent Haruf

                                                PINK                                     

Holiday Brunch, Bonnie Magee, Food Czar

                                                Home of: Jean Alexander

                                                Reviewers: TBD

January 12, 2016:                  The Secret Chord by Geraldine Brooks

                                                RED

                                                Home of: Rebecca Brisendine

                                                Reviewer: Patty Evans

February 9^th:                         Winter Garden by Kristin Hannah

                                                PINK

                                                Home of: Daryl Daniels

                                                Reviewer: Jean Alexander

March 8^th:                              TBD

April 12^th:                               TBD

May 10^th or                            Wine & Cheese evening meeting

May 17^th:                                Backup date

                                                A Man Called Ove by Fredrik Backman

                                                PINK

                                                Home of: Bonnie Magee (tentative)

                                                Reviewer: Jean McSpadden

Happy Reading,

JoDee

SEPTEMBER 2015 BOOKERS MINUTES & MUSINGS, The Boys in the Boat, Nine Americans and Their Epic Quest for the Gold at the 1936 Berlin Olympics by Daniel James Brown

At the onset of tackling this non-fiction piece, the author, Daniel James Brown, met with Joe Rantz, and he insisted that this book had “to be about the boat.” And by that he meant not the physicality of the boat or the men, but the sanctity of the moment when they became one.

Welcome to the beginning of Bookers’ 12^th year. I may visibly be flying solo at the helm of this ship, but rest assured Yeoman Stanky has not abandoned us, as she will always be the lighthouse guiding us in the right direction. Through the years, we’ve read a lot; we’ve discussed a lot; we’ve laughed and sometimes cried a lot. Bookers is a team bound by our passion for the written word, in essence, we are our own “boat.”

24 Bookers metaphorically sculled to the home of Joanna Linder for our discussion of this month’s selection. We had a few surprises under our University of Washington crew jerseys as MN and sister, Pam, skyped the interactive discussion of “Boys” from LA…lower Alabama. Many thanks to Joanna for getting into the spirit by decorating her home with Olympic rings, paddles, American flags, and posters, along with her technical savvy to connect us with one another.

These 'boys in the boat' were the sons of loggers, shipyard workers and farmers from the American West, They took on and defeated successive echelons of privilege and power.  They conquered the sons of bankers and senators rowing for elite eastern universities.  They defeated the sons of British aristocrats rowing for Oxford and Cambridge.  And finally, in an extraordinary race in Berlin, they stunned the Aryan sons of the Nazi state as they rowed for gold in front of Adolf Hitler.

Against the  grim backdrop of the Great Depression, they reaffirmed the American notion that merit outweighs birthright.  They reminded the country of what can be done when everyone quite literally pulls together.  And, they provided hope that in the huge struggle that lay ahead, the ruthless might of the NAZIS would not prevail over GOOD OLE’ AMERICAN GRIT, DETERMINATION, AND OPTIMISM.

And, as the book tells of the boy's collective achievement, it is also the heartwarming story of one young man in particular.  Cast aside by his family at an early age, abandoned and left to fend for himself, Joe Rantz rows not just for the glory but to regain his shattered  self-regard, to dare again to trust in others, and to find his way back to a place he can call home.

Our guest reviewer, MN's sister, Pam, detailed the journey of these extraordinary young men with insights into the merit of this book. Bookers has never been so quiet as we listened and participated as Pam led us through the highlights of this wonderful story of teamwork accomplished through individual grit, determination, trust, loyalty, strength of character, survival, and pride. She hit all the right notes and we are so appreciative of her foresight and attention to detail in bringing these “boys” to life for us. When the author interviewed Joe Rantz for this book, he cried for the lost moment when nine good-hearted young men pulled together as one, for the boys who gave everything they had for one another…but he cried more for the sheer beauty of that moment. When they retired each had rowed from Seattle to Japan, taken over a half million strokes, all in preparation for twenty-eight miles of actual collegiate racing.

“Rowing is a continuous and unbroken cycle of uncoiling and coiling the body, comparable to eight men standing on a floating log that threatened to roll over whenever they moved. These eight men had to hit eight golf balls at exactly the same moment, with exactly the same amount of force, directing the ball to exactly the same point on the green, and doing so over and over every two or three seconds. The discipline required in achieving the ultimate from the mind, heart, and body is not taught in the classroom, but in a racing shell.”

Consider a twenty-four inch shell carrying three-quarters of a ton of human flesh and bone rowing continuously toward a shared goal, both in the water and in life. What you put in determines what you achieve. These boys in a boat pooled their individual weaknesses into a bowl of strengths, achieving success by not worrying about who was ahead, behind, or beside them, but trusting who was ahead, behind, and beside them, lifting them a step further than they thought possible.

Joe’s story in particular says that within us all there is an extra gear. For some it’s faith, for others it might be as simple as someone believing in you, but for all of us when we shift into overdrive replacing selfishness with empathy, we become survivors. We have the heart of a champion because we understand that by walking in someone else’s shoes we are now part of a team bigger than we are. As individuals, we are a drop of water, together we are an ocean.

As Rio de Janeiro welcomes the world for the 2016 Summer Olympics next August, we might hear the distinct British upper-crust accent of the “high priest of rowing” inspiring our boys in the boats to embrace the redemptive power of trust and “swing” the shell across the finish line.

Bookers have always been about collective passion, but the most important thing about our group is we are a team. We trust, we support one another, and have true crew-like spirit. With Pam’s direction, we participated, we put our heart into rowing, we sang in the round, we pulled together and we proved to be worthy Olympians. 

Well done, team Bookers! You deserve your gold medal today...and always!

JoDee

MAY 2015 BOOKERS MINUTES & MUSINGS, The Husband's Secret by Liane Moriarty

How is it possible that a small and innocent act can lead to far-reaching consequences?

Thankfully, neither canoes nor umbrellas were necessary when 15 Bookers descended on the home of Beverly Dossett, who not only hosted our final meeting of “our” year, but also provided the overview and discussion of this month’s selection, a female-character driven novel, The Husband’s Secret, by Australian author, Liane Moriarty. FYI, CBS has acquired the film rights and her latest novel, Big, Little Lies, has been optioned by HBO, Reese Witherspoon, and Nicole Kidman.

The Husband’s Secret opens with the reference to Pandora’s Box, which was really a covered jar, but no matter. The analogy set up the story with a reminder of what happened in Greek mythology when you opened something that is to remain sealed…all the ills to plague humanity forevermore will be released, leaving only hope inside the box/jar. The author puts three women in impossible situations, intertwines their lives, and challenges them to find a way to land on their feet. Cecilia Fitzpatrick lives to be perfect – a perfect marriage, three perfect daughters, and a perfectly organized life. Tess O’Leary’s husband and her best friend/cousin/business partner, Felicity, confess they’ve fallen in love. Rachel Crowley, Catholic school secretary, whose daughter was murdered three decades ago, is convinced the school’s P.E. teacher is guilty of taking her life.

The title suggests that only one husband has a secret. As the story digs deeper, we find nothing could be farther from the truth. Moriarty gorges the reader with veiled relationships, guilt, temptations, and human imperfections drawing female characters, coated with a “thin veneer of bitchiness” using inner dialogue to ponder the motivations and psychology behind their actions. The “men of Husbands,” according to one reviewer, (a manly man no doubt) expressed disappointment that his gender is portrayed as either “studs,” “blithering idiots,” or “willful tools of the women in their lives.” Isn’t it interesting that in spite of the men being “ciphers,” the three women in the story all react to the choices made by their men to determine what to do next…Cecilia with the letter, Tess with the love affair, Rachel with her son’s family moving to New York.

Let’s talk. We did. Most read the novel and liked it, although expressed some confusion with all the characters especially in the beginning…too many too soon. We asked…if you’d found the letter would you have opened it…yes, without hesitation. If you found out your spouse/partner had committed a horrible crime, would you turn her/him into the police….well “it depends”…on current circumstances…would a confession to a crime committed in youth serve any purpose decades later? What about the family? But, the victim had one too and they didn’t know why she died. Does one act define you? Do you give up twenty years of being a good husband and father to punish your family by admitting to a tragic, stupid, mistake…Hadn’t he suffered enough guilt throughout the years by making himself a martyr for God’s forgiveness? We had two Bookers who would without doubt turn the “murderer” over to the authorities immediately. We loved Polly, disliked Felicity, and some could identify with Cecilia, Tess, and Esther. We talked about the parents staying together “for the children.” We discussed why Tess didn’t pick up any clues about the “love” brewing between her husband and cousin…Tess never considered her a “threat” because of her weight; Felicity felt she “wasn’t ever thin enough to have a real life.”

We talked about the advantages of writing in third-person past tense – it allows the author to be an “uninvolved” narrator telling a wider story after the action has already happened and the reader knows there’s a future.

On a personal note, my favorite part was when Tess’ Dad sent her the old-fashioned wooded compass to help her find her way when she was feeling lost…love that!

What do the Berlin Wall and Tupperware have in common? In this novel, the author deftly used both metaphorically to enhance the story. A wall is an immovable barrier…it is impenetrable, and isolates those on either side of it, until it falls. Cecilia’s wall – her perfection…Tess, her social anxiety…Rachel, the unsolved mystery of her daughter’s death consumed her every waking minute. Hidden within the wall are the secrets that divide the families, revealed only when the wall is dismantled. Cecilia’s connection to Tupperware wasn’t an accident as nothing organizes your life like bowls that fit together systematically arranging your pantry space in the process. In her case, she finds out that sometimes the lids just don’t fit.

We had some questions concerning the epilogue of the book. Why? The story is over…what more is there to say. One thought, it served as “a beautiful picture of justice” in its purest form…another, the novel began with Pandora’s Box and maybe it was fitting that the epilogue showed us that there indeed was hope left inside.

                                   On the business side:

Thanks Sandy Molander for insisting we choose All the Light We Cannot See. Sandy saw the light before we did on this one – 2016 winner of the Pulitzer Prize for fiction. 

Thank you to Gayle Robinson and Dian Jones for sharing so many books for us to read and pass on. Many members took a few to do just that and I still have some here for anyone interested in taking a look at the selection. They all destined for the garage sale, but for now they are available for our reading pleasure.

We will resume Bookers on September 8^th at the home of Joanna Linder. MN and I will take care of the review of our summer read. We’ll discuss our book selections and solicit host homes at that meeting. Please let me know if in your summer reading you come across a good candidate for our 12^th year of Bookers! 

We are in the process of reading and considering several books including Kristin Hannah’s, Nightingale; The Silent Sister by Diane Chamberlain; Trail of Broken Wings by Sejal Badani

Good summer reads:

The Stranger by Harlan Coben, Winter Garden by Kristin Hannah; and Saving Gracie by Terry Lee. 

                            COLOR CODING SYSTEM

                            WHITE:         LIGHT READ 

                            PINK:             MODERATELY CHALLENGING

                            RED:              CHALLENGING

                                   

Summer Break:           June, July & August

                                    

September 8^th:             Bookers 12^th year

The Boys in the Boat, Nine Americans and Their Epic Quest for Gold at the 1936 Berlin Olympics by Daniel James Brown

PINK

Home of Joanna Linder

Reviewers: MN & JoDee

Have a wonderful summer of relaxing, enjoying our full lake, and reading.

JoDee

APRIL 2015 BOOKERS MINUTES & MUSINGS, Orphan Train by Christina Baker Kline

  “The people who matter in our lives stay with us, haunting our most ordinary moments.”

19 Bookers met at the home of Kay Robinson to discuss this month’s selection with Jean Alexander narrating the story in the voice of young Niamh Power, the surviving daughter of Irish immigrants living in a “railroad apartment” in Manhattan, which was destroyed by fire. Lost were her mother, father, twin brothers, and sister. As always, Jean gets into character, physically and emotionally, complete with red hair and freckles, asking us to the feel the heartrending journey of a child abandoned. Mission accomplished. Thank you, Jean, for always bringing a unique perspective and visual to your reviews.

The novel opens a few months shy of the Stock Market Crash in 1929 and Niamh becomes the ward of the Children’s Aid Society, her voyage beginning on an orphan train bound for the Midwest, destined for a fresh start, foster families, and new identities. She wore a pewter Claddagh Celtic cross, given by her grandmother, a design of two hands holding a crowned heart symbolizing friendship, love, and loyalty on a chain of interlaced strands representing a “never-ending path leading away from home and circling back – you’ll never be far from the place you started.” The children, stripped of their identities and “sold” into servitude, envisioned a home filled with a caring family, but found they were like merchandise, returnable after a ninety-day trial. Thrown “friendless onto the world” Niamh learned how to survive.

Seventeen-year old Molly Ayer, a descendant of the Penobscot Indians, is also wandering through the maze of obscurity. Her biological father, killed in a car wreck when she was eight, left a grieving and alcoholic mother either incarcerated or institutionalized. Molly too wore a remembrance of a happier time, a present from her father drenched in symbolism – a necklace with three charms. The blue-green cloisonné fish gave her power to resist other’s magic or the greed or insecurity that leads a person to the other side; a pewter raven represented magic to guard against bad spells; and a tiny brown bear signified a fearless spirit and bravery necessary to protect her from others, and her own internal demons. Molly, close to aging out of the foster care system, needs to serve fifty hours of community service or land in “juvie” for stealing a copy of her favorite book, Jane Eyre, from the library. She sees herself in the character of Jane, kind of an “outlaw, passionate, determined, and says exactly what she thinks.”

The story waves back and forth from a young Niamh to ninety-one year old widowed, Vivian Daly, 2011, Spruce Harbor, Maine who “hires” Molly to help her clean out the attic, fulfilling her community service requirement. As each trunk or box is unwrapped, Vivian’s life unfolds and the two improbable characters discover an unbiased connection, as they both understood how it felt to be at the mercy of others. Their personalities, shaped by forced smiles, faked emotion, displays of empathy when none existed, and jaded views of society, directed them to act like everyone else even though they were “broken inside.” They realized that no matter what lands in your path, life goes on – you will grow taller, you will still breathe, and sleep.

The book, written in parallel storylines, kept the similarities between the two main characters dissecting at every interval. Both technically not orphaned, but certainly stood alone against the world, both carried their cultural flags of heritage, the plight of the American Indians much like the Irish under British rule wasn’t a fair fight – their land stolen, their religion forbidden, their people forced to bend to foreign domination. They both wore a necklace of remembrance telling where they started and where they ended up. Neither were unconditionally accepted for what they stood for or how they looked, except by each other, both relying on inner strength and lessons learned to keep standing  in their individual fight to see the light of the next day. The author mixed in some wonderful moments within the dual tragic stories.

The story is wrapped up in a nice package, a truly happily ever after tale for characters deserving of a fairy tale ending. A few thought the ending was rushed; some wanted to know how Molly fared on the portage interview with Vivian; some asking because the ending was the beginning for another generation of Vivian’s family, is there a sequel planned?

Our discussion followed the theme as tales from the Bookers’ train spilled onto the tracks. We’re reminded of our own Vicca, who has since moved, but remains on our email – her story of the “lucky one” raised in an orphanage – we’d love to hear from Vicca on her experience! Many were unaware of the history of the orphan train; a few remembered its mention, others, researched to find out more about it. There are “tenement tours” in New York, author questions and answers segments on YouTube among other articles and information available. We talked of the challenges foster families face, how some are not ideal, but how the good ones make a life-long impact on their kids; how important it is when we offer to purchase items for the CASA kids, to keep in mind the importance of what we buy versus what they ask for. We talked about Vivian giving up her baby, why she made that decision, and how difficult it is to relate to being that “broken” where you can’t face losing one more thing in your life. We spoke of the expectation of perfection and the disappointment when situations are less than that, and how we take for granted some of the basics of livelihood in our Country because we’ve not learned what it takes to be without these essentials. MN recommended Sarah’s Key and Flowers In the Attic by V.C. Andrews for two more excellent books in the same vein as this one. We asked, would Orphan Train fall into your top ten Bookers’ books? Attached is a list of all eleven years of Bookers’ choices. Bring your choice to the May meeting.

                                         On the business side

We spoke some about recommendations of children’s books and after discussing this many members are interested in compiling a list of favorites. Local author, Sharon Ellsberry, has written several books, featured recently in the magazine, Fly Your Flag, and might be available to speak to our group at some time. I’ll gladly keep a list of “Grandchildren Bookers’ books” if you’ll email your suggestions to me.

The Nightingale by Kristen Hannah has received over 3,000 five star reviews and was recommended by Mary Jacobs. Set in France in 1939, it’s the story of two sisters living in a small village who find themselves estranged as they disagree about the imminent danger of occupation. We welcome your feedback.

Beverly Dossett recommends The Martian by Andy Weir, about an astronaut left on Mars – touted as a sci-fi book for all the non-sci-fi-book lovers.

                                       COLOR CODING SYSTEM

                                       WHITE:         LIGHT READ

                                        PINK:             MODERATELY CHALLENGING

                                        RED:              CHALLENGING

May 19^th:                     The Husband’s Secret by Liane Moriarty

                                    PINK

                                    Home of Beverly Dossett                                         

                                    Reviewer: Beverly Dossett

Summer Break:           June, July & August

                                    Summer Read

The Boys in the Boat, Nine Americans and Their Epic Quest for Gold at the 1936 Berlin Olympics by Daniel James Brown

September 8^th:             Bookers 12^th year

Ask yourself about your own portage – or the moment in your life when you’ve had to take a journey – literally or metaphorically. What did you choose to bring along and what did you choose to leave behind. Personally, I left fear of failure behind and put determination in the canoe.

JoDee