Yesterday was a wonderful way to start off book club '09.  We had special guest's Andrea Pool and Rosie Piacentini.  We discussed the good thief over wine, beer and finger foods.  It was a night which ended much too soon in my opinion.  highlights for me included being able to see all of my wonderful friends (obviously), but the food!  it was amazing.  what were those cheesy bread things called?  little josephines?  fabulous!  Next we do brothers karamazov over a four month period.  i am very excited about this.  here is a picture i found of Dostoyevsky's notes on chapter 5 of the book.

Short Stories Round 2: The Darkside of Man

and so it continues... i'm really enjoying this season of short stories, venturing quickly into different authors worlds, getting a small taste of each man/womans individual style. its been fun for me, even edifying in a way to conquer five pieces in a month, be they short. it still feels like an accomplishment. and the conversations have never dissapointed. i'll admit, i felt a bit like a farce at first, within the idea of a group of us itting in a circle, 'discussing literature and drinking wine' (read with a snobby accent). but i've been happily proven wrong. thank you all for being a part, i do appreciate it.

so... first a familiar face. i will write this from my perspective, with everyone invited to share theirs. i felt a theme of 'the darkside of man' throughout this series of stories. with 'Bernice Bobs her hair, we discussed he cattiness of young girls, caught up in the light of social acceptance, the gullibility of men in taking whatever they're fed. the joy of revenge. the weird sacrifices made to navigate a lifestyle that seems so important but yet always results as so unfulfilling. mackensie read a forward from her book that shared a story of how this story came from aletter fitzgerald wrote to his sister on how to succeed more as a girl (ie, eyebrow grooming and conversational tactics. fascinating).
"the thief," a personal favorite to many in the group, told a story of the stereotypes and normal disdain placed against a thief, against a story of friendship and love persevering through that very sin. a great fable of man learning bitterly the cost and weight of love at personal cost.
"the destructors" was accompanied by a clip from 'donnie darko' and followed by a conversation of the almost terrifying shallowness and reckless abandon of youth. testing limits and rules unbound by adult rots of why and why not. just to simply see the world burn.
"lamb to the slaughter" was a fun and complete story. we discussed the weird, but very human, daze that she, the protagonist, moves around her world post murder. the way she detaches from her world, the way we have all experienced post break up or any bad situation, and glide on cruise control through the actions that follow. it was wrapped up neatly.
and lastly... i was a bit nervous bringing mr. king into the mix. he's a personal favorite, but gets a negative wrap as a mostly horror writer with horrible cinematical adaptations. but we spent more time discussing this than any other, which warmed my heart. the horrifying but real feeling depiction of the devil. the ways he plays us, the deceitfulness of his pursuit. the way he speaks, so rooted in genesis 3. stephen king is a masterful story teller, who hopefully you will read exclusively from now on.

yes.

thanks to you all for being a part. you're all amazing.

Short Stories Round One: Social Commentary

we had good talks yesterday over cheese, crackers, authentic fresh hummus and pitas, brownies and wine. good eats. we did read around with edith whartons "roman fever," a first for book club. that lead straight into a conversation on mens vs. womens perspectives, the way we process and handle friendships. the societal role of women at this point in history and what wharton's statement was on this through her literature.
next we discussed the two pages of magic that was "breakfast" by john steinbeck. we all marveled at his ability to make you feel the bite of the early morning cold, the smell of fresh bacon, the taste of dark, bitter coffee and the feel of stiff dungarees. he is one of those few authors who can transport you to his world with such little effort. a-maz-ing.

"everything that rises must converge." this coversation followed much along the lines of rosies previous post, ie. the sons arrogance. we talked of the generational differences in cultural beliefs and how much eah of us are guilty of picking fights with our parent to prove not only the error of thier ways but the vast knowledge that we have of the world we live in. we also laughed a bit at o'conners love of the drastic twist endings that sometimes seem unnessecary.
"harrison bergeron" came next. we discussed the fantastical worlds that vonnegut creates, how he constructs places that we can all relate to to a certain extent, but turns it on its head, like seeing a reflection in a dirty or broken mirror. we discussed the social satire and sad humor that laced the entire piece.
last was "the curious case of benjamin button." this story was not really discussed as we could all no longer ignore the call of the roddy's pool. derek and i discussed it briefly on the way over. we enjoyed the weaving parrallels of the time periods, the generatrional commentary and highlighting that comes with his reverse aging and fish out of water characterization. also the humor that slowly digressed into a depressing ending.

all was good. food, community and enlightenment. good times. wish everyone could come.

-tim

Flannery...O'Genius.

Yesterday, I enjoyed Everything That Rises Must Converge. I read it on the bus...which was so fitting. The son's arrogance disturbed me more than the mother's racism. That isn't prolific or anything, just a thought. I am, now, even more intrigued by O'Connor than before. Did you know her and Thomas Merton had an almost "kinship" with one another? I'm not sure they ever met in person but they would exchange work through letters and mutual friends.

Here she is with one of her peacocks. She's got a sly look about her, like she knows a funny secret. Which I thinks is a good description of her writing: a sly, funny and genius secret.

Anywhoo, that's all I got. I wish I could attend the meeting of the minds. I will read the rest and post before this weekend. Love, Rosie.

good morning

I just read 'Breakfast' and I'm slightly enamored with Steinbeck. Story was beautiful and surprisingly emotional for me...? Anyway, it's nice and overcast this morning and I just want to stay home in my p.j.s and read the rest of our shorts. Gotta go to work though.
-mackenzie

book club this month was great. i feel that there is so much that goes on in all of our hearts and minds daily that it is like a breath of fresh air to bounce ideas and thoughts off of each other. we are learning through each other! we are enriching our lives! we are the few but bold strongholds, unmoved by the powerful wave of apathetic mental-seizure that has wiped out most of our generation! it is up to us to carry the torch!

i tried to get the book yesterday at barnes, had to order it. anyone start it yet?

dvh

Book Club Revisted

thats clever...
yesterday we dissected and discussed "Brideshead Revisited," over wine, homemade cranberry scones and mini raspberry burritos. the conversation turned to faith, mans role with God and wealth and the current state of the church. it was really a fascinating and educational discussion, enlightening to all parties. it's what a gathering like this is supposed to be...

everyone who was there, please post ideas and conversations you remember as comments here to share with those who were not able to be present.

here is the summer schedule we decided on:

June: "A Pilgrim at Tinker Creek," by Annie Dillard. she is wonderfully poetic. meeting on June 29th in Long Beach, as to not conflict with 4th of July weekend.

July: in hopes of switching up genres and styles, we're going to venture out. "Twilight," by Stephenie Meyer.

August: with the success of our discussion of faith and the church, we thought we might jumped genres again and veer into the 'faith' arena. "Blue Like Jazz," by Donald Miller. in hopes of kick starting some awesome conversations.

i think this will be a fun crop for the summer. i look forward to hanging out and nerding out over some good reads with you all.

please use this blog out of towners

tim