The Supremes at Earl's All-You-Can-Eat by Edward Kelsey Moore (Evening Edition book club)
Clarice, Odette, and Barbara Jean have been best friends since high school in the 1960's when they were dubbed "the Supremes." Now they have been friends for over 4 decades and catch up every week over Sunday lunch at Earl's All-You-Can-Eat. Clarice is once again dealing with her husband's infidelities, but this time she won't just ignore it. Odette has always been the strongest Supreme, but she is now fighting for her life. Barbara Jean is dealing with an addiction that started with a shameful secret. These three friends help each other through the best and the worst times together, all while watching daily life unfold in their small Indiana town.
This is one of those books that I wouldn't have read if not for my book club, and honestly I don't think I would have missed much if I hadn't read it. I did really like Odette's character and a whole book about her would have been great, but overall it seems to take a REALLY long time to not really get anywhere. While you see each character's story issue get resolved by the end, it just seemed over written and too much minor details that didn't really go anywhere. Overall, I wasn't too impressed, but I did really like Odette.
Mother Earth News Almanac by Mother Earth News
This is one I might need to buy. I love the Mother Earth News magazine and this is a great collection of tips and tricks organized by season. There is a LOT of really great information on all kinds of topics. There are also quite a few recipes too. Overall, a very well-rounded book that is perfect for the homesteading/gardening/do-it-yourself person or family!
The Oregon Trail: a new American journey by Rinker Buck (Books & Banter book club, re-read)
Originally read October 28 - November 3, 2015
After re-reading this book, I like it just as much as the first time. Buck is a born storyteller and his writing makes for a fantastic non-fiction book. I think this will make for a great book club discussion and if it doesn't inspire you to explore more of our country then something is wrong with you. Definitely a great book that I would highly recommend!
A few additional quotes I liked this time around:
"The Mormons are effective because they exploit something so basic in the national psyche that most of us have lost the ability to see it. Americans on summer vacation, especially the RVers, are idiots, and haven't read anything in years. Their every cranial neuron has been erased by watching Fox News. The brains of American tourists will accept practically anything as truth because there is nothing else up there to compete with new information." (p. 285)
"Taking Rocky Ridge infused us with energy. I had studied Rocky Ridge for months the winter before and learned to fear it, and all of the Oregon Trail 'experts' had exhorted me not to cross it. But nobody knows. Nobody had taken a wagon over those rocks in a century. Fear was just a deceptive veil obscuring the unknown. But when we got there and saw the terrain, it was just a lot of hard work crossing large rocks." (p. 310)
Fever at Dawn by Peter Gardos
Peter Gardos parents met via letters while they are both recovering in Sweden after surviving the Holocaust and concentration camps. Miklos has been given 6 months to live due to his TB, but in his heart he knows he will live and vows to find a wife from his Hungarian village. Lili is recovering from a kidney problem and at first only responds to Miklos letter out of boredom, but soon she is falling for a stranger through his letters. The author only found out that the letters between his parents survived after his father's death and he used them for the basis of this book. Since he had the text from the actual letters, I guess he more or less imagined their in-person conversations and thoughts. It's a quick read, but it also kind of dragged on at the same time. Once they finally meet in person it definitely gets better, but overall it wasn't as good as I was hoping it would be.
Everyday Sexism by Laura Bates
This is by far the most disturbing book I've ever read. I'm a feminist and I know women in our society are still far from equal, but as I've never personally experienced daily sexual harassment on my commute or at work I was blown away. After her own experiences with daily sexual harassment from strangers on her daily commute to work, Laura Bates decided to create a blog that turned into Everyday Sexism and was blown away by how many responses she got on the first day alone. Everyday Sexism has turned into an online gathering place for women to commiserate or open up about assaults for the first time. Bates organizes the book into categories like Women in Politics, Women in the Media, Women in the Workplace, etc. and what was most disturbing to me was how young sexual harassment started -both for the girls and how they were harassed by peers and much older adults starting from a very young age. Bates also shines a light on how pornography is becoming more violent and how that is shaping boy's sexuality in a horrific way. There are parts of this book that are hard to read, as they should be, but this should be required reading for EVERYONE. And this book was published BEFORE the Brock Turner rape case and Donald Trump being elected President - those two things alone could have added more chapters. Bravo to Laura Bates for tackling this issue and working to create a safe space for women and also challenge the pervasive cultural norms of misogyny and sexism.
Here are some quotes that stood out since I can't quote the whole book here...
"Like the anitrape underwear before it [Undercover Colors nail polish], any product that claims to enable a woman to protect herself from being raped can't help but contribute to the suggestion that it is partly a victim's responsibility to take precautions against attack...When we suggest victims can stop rape, we also (however unintentionally) imply that rape is an inevitable aspect of life rather than an action deliberately carried out by a perpetrator." (p. 26)
"The knee-jerk reaction here is to protest that surely it's in everybody's interest for children to dress appropriately at school, but in reality these messages privilege boys' apparent 'needs' over those of the girls (who often complain that they are prevented from wearing cool clothing in hot weather), sending the insidious message that girls' bodies are dangerous and provoke harassment, and boys can't be expected to control their behavior, so girls are responsible for covering up." (p. 104)
"Because street harassment is perhaps the clearest manifestation of the spectrum of sexism, sexual harassment, and sexual assault that exists within our society...And if we say it's acceptable for men to assume power and ownership over women they don't know verbally in public, then, like it or not, we're also saying something much wider about gender relationships - something that carries over into our personal relationships and our sexual exchanges." (p. 167)
"The British Transport Police has used thousands of accounts collected by the Everyday Sexism Project to help them retrain two thousand officers for Project Guardian, an initiative specifically designed to fight back against these crimes and their normalization. Within a mere two months of the launch of the campaign, it had already increased reporting of sexual offenses on public transport by 20 percent and detection of offenders by 32 percent. In just a single week of action, fifteen people were arrested. For every woman who manages to stand up and say no, there's another harasser who will think twice the next time. For every bystander who intervenes, there's another crack in the culture of complicity. For every report made, either to an individual company or to the police, there's another perpetrator who will face consequences for his actions." (p. 183)
"This is a culture steeped in misogyny and the objectification and subjugation of woman - and yes, it does have a real impact, both on the way society sees and values women and on the way women feel about themselves." (p. 215)
"There are never any victims who don't matter, because this isn't about men versus women. It's not about taking away men's rights, or about failing to focus on the issues that affect them. It is about working, together, toward a more equal society in which everybody is free from stereotypes, rigid expectations, and discrimination, enabling them truly to fulfill their natural potential." (p. 346)
Present Over Perfect by Shauna Niequist (Meck book club, re-read)
First read September 9-14, 2016
I think I actually liked this one better reading it the second time. I just blew through it this time and it seemed to take me longer to read it the first time. I just love Shauna Niequist and her writing is just so timely and helpful. I think one of the biggest messages of Christianity is going against the cultural norms and flow - that is hard to do and in this book Niequist addresses the siren call of business and hustle and recognition for all you've done. A great book for anyone who wants to feel more rested and present in their life.
Some different quotes that jumped out at me this time:
"This is what I call fake-resting. I'm wearing pajamas. The kids are watching cartoons, snuggling under blankets, eating waffles. Aaron's reading or sleeping. It looks like I'm resting, too. But, I'm not. I'm ticking down an endless list, sometime written, always mental, getting things back into their right spots, changing the laundry, wiping down the countertops...Frankly, the men I know don't generally struggle with this. They've been raised to eat when they're hungry, sleep when they're tired, run when they're antsy, leave when they're ready to leave. But even the most driven, articulate, strong women I know struggle to really meet their own needs." (p. 35-6)
"What it seems the world wants me to be: really skinny and really tired. If I could shrink and hustle, I'd be right there, skinny and tired. Shrink and Hustle. This is what our culture wants women to be: skinny and tired, from relentlessly shrinking and hustling." (p. 186)
Marrow Island by Alexis M. Smith
On May 1, 1993 a huge earthquake hit Washington State. Lucie and her best friend Katie were in school on Orwell Island when it happened. Lucie's father worked for an oil refinery on nearby Marrow Island and was killed in an explosion and fire caused by the earthquake. Twenty years later after being laid off from her job, Lucie comes back to Orwell and the home where she grew up until the earthquake. Her friend Katie has contacted her that she is now living in a commune on Marrow Island and wants Lucie to see how they're remediating the soil. Lucie is intrigued because of how closely the island's history affects her personally, but she's also a journalist and senses a story. When Lucie visits the Colony she senses there is more that what's being presented to her on the surface and when she finds out the truth about what the Colony is doing and it's ramifications she is now at risk. Told back in forth between when Lucie first visits the Colony and two years later when she is still trying to deal with what happened, this is a semi-dystopian novel that explores friendships, love, and the impact of environmental disasters.
While I liked the premise of the book and how it was told back in forth in time, but the ending was very ambiguous and there were a lot of unanswered questions. There were also quite a few really weird scenes thrown in that didn't seem to make sense and were out of place - Lucie helping change Sister Janet's diaper when she's dying - that would NEVER happen and was very weird and gross. Overall, it was a little disappointing.
Champagne Baby by Laure Dugas
Laure Dugas grew up in a prominent wine family in France and was constantly surrounded by champagne and wine growing up. But, she never felt a connection with the family business until her uncle offers to send her to the US to work with his wines in the American market. Laure falls in love with New York City and enjoys traveling and seeing the US, but she still has a lot to learn about wine. While working for her uncle in the US, Laure finally comes to appreciate the varieties of wine and the privilege of her family background. Throughout the book Laure gives tips on how to taste and appreciate various types of wine.
I liked Laure and I wish I liked the book better. Maybe I would have liked it more if I was into wine, but the story seemed kind of choppy. She was constantly talking about how much she missed her boyfriend Jules and he even moved to New York and got a job, then at the end when they're both back in France they break up! I just didn't love it. If she writes a book about her wine bar and restaurants she's opened in France I'd give it another try, but I just didn't like this one much.
Somewhere Out There by Amy Hatvany
I really like Amy Hatvany and how she explores difficult issues without sugar coating the reality. In Somewhere Out There Hatvany explores the issue of adoption and separating siblings. Jennifer was a teenager when she got pregnant by her boyfriend and she thought they would create their own family, but not long after giving birth to Brooke he kicks them both out. While trying to survive she ends up pregnant with Natalie. When Brooke is 4 and Natalie 6 months old Jennifer is convicted of shoplifting and endangering her children because the three of them were living in Jennifer's car. With no family to help her, she ends up signing away her parental rights hoping that a loving family will adopt her girls. And while Natalie was adopted almost a month later, Brooke ended up in and out of foster homes until she aged out at 18. Thirty five years later Natalie and Brooke reconnect, but with such different childhoods will they be able to really bond? And if they find their mother can any explanation change their past? Told from Jennifer, Brooke, and Natalie's perspectives, this heart-breaking novel explores the meaning of family, what it means to be a parent, adoption, and foster care.
I though Hatvany did a great job with each character - they seemed true to life and showed the reality of this situation without sugar-coating or making everything work out perfectly in the end. While there was some closure at the end, it wasn't all neatly wrapped up like a Hallmark movie. Overall, a really great novel that explores a tough issue.
Dinner With Edward by Isabel Vincent
When Isabel and Edward meet they are both at a crossroad in life. Edward just lost his wife of sixty-nine years and Isabel is struggling in an unhappy marriage. Isabel is friends with Edwards daughters and since they are both living in other countries they ask Isabel to check on their father. The weekly dinners that Isabel and Edward have change both of them. Isabel finds the strength the leave her unhappy marriage and Edward finds a new will to live planning and cooking their weekly dinners. They each inspired the other and find a new unlikely friendship despite the vast difference in age and stage of life. This was a very quick and uplifting read - my only complaint is there were no recipes included and the food they described sounded phenomenal. Overall, a great book about food and friendship.
