April 2012 - DEFENDING JACOB

A fast, compelling, and compulsively readable courtroom drama, Defending Jacob tells the story of a district attorney’s son who is accused of killing a classmate. As the father attempts to prove his son’s innocence, Landay explores uncomfortable territory: can a tendency toward violence be inherited? Is the capacity for murder a genetic disposition? The author, a former district attorney, gets the taut nuances just right, capturing the subtleties of a trial in a packed courtroom, where a small rustle or murmur can signify a lot. In the end Landay pulls off a clever plot device that doesn’t reveal itself until the final pages. --Neal Thompson

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The Turning Leaves Book Club met at Marcia’s on April 29.  Most members were present and the book Defending Jacob received ratings of 6-7, with one 4.  Marcia did a great job coming up with questions to get the discussion of the book moving, and of course also served a fabulous dessert.  Some of the highlights of the conversation included the following:

·         Most readers related to the character of the mother and her concerns regarding her son; however, many could also understand the father’s refusal to recognize the possibility of his son as a murderer as well as his denial of his past.

·         The possibility of a genetic predisposition toward murder, violence, and many other “evils” was discussed at length.  If this is indeed true, can these types of tendencies be overcome?  Also, how responsible is a person for behaviors that are “caused” by his/her DNA?  One member stated there is a gene for everything, but not one to fit her butt.  J

·         Opinions varied on whether or not it is acceptable for a spouse to keep a secret from his/her past. 

·         There was also a lot of discrepancy in thought regarding the mother’s final decision in dealing with her son’s problem.  Some felt she was courageous, while others stated they could never do such a thing.

Dena is going to set up our May meeting at the Alexander House.  Each member is reading a memoir/biography/autobiography for this get together. 

Thanks to Geri for putting our blog post together this month!

March 2012 - LEFT NEGLECTED



The Turning Leaves Book Club met in March 2012 at the home of Geri Beckman to discuss the book Left Neglected by Lisa Genova. 

Amazon.com describes the book as follows:
Sarah Nickerson, like any other working mom, is busy trying to have it all. One morning while racing to work and distracted by her cell phone, she looks away from the road for one second too long. In that blink of an eye, all the rapidly moving parts of her over-scheduled life come to a screeching halt. After a brain injury steals her awareness of everything on her left side, Sarah must retrain her mind to perceive the world as a whole. In so doing, she also learns how to pay attention to the people and parts of her life that matter most.

Generally, the group had favorable ratings for the book, most ranging from a 6 to an 8. We were all intrigued by the medical condition that was the center of the book. Most of the criticism for the book revolved around the underdevelopment of the characters and the relationships in the book. The subject matter of the book led to some interesting discussion and a mix of opinions, especially as it related to working mothers and the effect that this can have on our family and ourselves.  At the end of the night we were all still good friends and enjoyed a tasty juneberry pie topped with ice cream.

We also welcomed a new member, Debby Karas, to our group.  We are glad to have her in our group. 

We send "get well soon" wishes to Tracy, one of our dear members who is dealing with some health problems.  We are looking forward to her feeling better and joining us for book club again soon.

Our next book is Defending Jacob by William Landay.  Marcia Rost will be hosting the group at her home on April 19th.

February 2012: ORDINARY PEOPLE

Five members braved one of our few snowy, icy evenings this winter to discuss Ordinary People at Vicki's. Before webegan the book discussion, we shared some possibilites for our next meetings. In March, we will read Left Neglected; April, Defending Jacob, and we are trying something new for the month of May. Each member is to read a biography/autobiography/memoir of her own choice. To begin the meeting, hints will be given by each reader, and the rest of the group will attempt to determine who the reader is describing. Should be fun! Geri will either host the March meeting or set up a date for us to get together at the Alexander House.

Ordinary People was published in 1976 and released as a movie, which won four Academy Awards including Best Picture in 1980. According to Amazon, " The Jarrets are a typical American family. Calvin is a determined, successful provider and Beth an organized, efficient wife. They had two sons, Conrad and Buck, but now they have one. In this memorable novel, Judith Guest takes the reader into their lives to share their misunderstandings, pain...and ultimate healing." The chapters alternate between the stories of Calvin and Conrad. The conflict in Conrad's story is built around how and if he can recover from his suicide attempt. Conrad's conflict is concerned mostly with his relationship with Beth. July Lind's comment on Amazon is worth reflecting on: "One reads this book and comes away realizing that strength and weakness are not always what they appear to be. Sometimes the weaker are the stronger after all."

The book generally received very positive ratings from the club, as members rated it from 7-9. Some had seen the movie and had different opinions about it, however. We all appreciated the character of Dr. Berger. In general, the feeling was that the characters were quite authentic, and they "came alive" quickly. They were all working through pain and grief separately. We felt the depiction of Conrad's depression seemed very realisitic, although the ways of treating depression and the stigma attached to it are not the same as they were in the '70s. There was little, if any, sympathy for Beth, although many of us wanted an explanation for her cold, perfectionist personality.

Vicki had prepared lovely desserts - chocolate macaroon and almond mini-bundt cakes, which were delicious as well as beautiful! She also was generous enough to offer the use of the pans to anyone! Thanks, Vicki!

January 2012 - These Is My Words: The Diary of Sarah Agnes Prine

Mary Weltz welcomed a small group of us into her warm home on January 19th evening to discuss These is My Words: The Diary of Sarah Agnes Prine.  The ratings for this month's book ranged from the 5/6 range all the way up to a 10 by Jean, who loved it!  Most everyone agreed that the first half of the book was very engaging but there was a little bit of criticism about how plausable the story was as the incidents and hardships continued one upon another.

An excerpt from the Publisher's Weekly description of the book:  Based on the real-life exploits of the author's great-grandmother, this fictionalized diary vividly details one woman's struggles with life and love in frontier Arizona at the end of the last century. When she begins recording her life, Sarah Prine is an intelligent, headstrong 18-year-old capable of holding her own on her family's settlement near Tucson. Her skill with a rifle fends off a constant barrage of Indian attacks and outlaw assaults. It also attracts a handsome Army captain named Jack Elliot. By the time she's 21, Sarah has recorded her loveless marriage to a family friend, the establishment of a profitable ranch, the birth of her first child and the death of her husband. The love between Jack and Sarah, which dominates the rest of the tale, has begun to blossom. Fragmented and disjointed in its early chapters, with poor spelling and grammar, Sarah's journal gradually gains in clarity and eloquence as she matures.

After book discussion, we were treated to a lovely mandarin orange and Ritz cracker dessert which Sheldon made and Mary served along with her traditional and exceptional almond cake and other goodies.  It was all absolutely delicious.   Also, Dena was so kind to share a bottle of Paradise Ridge Sauvignon Blanc that she found on her trip to Sonoma.  Thank you Dena!

Our book for next month is Ordinary People by Judith Guest.  This is the last book on our current "to read" list, so please consider bringing a recommendation or two to the next meeting.  Vicki will be our host for February.

Thank you to Mary for a nice evening together.

Happy Holidays 2011

“There's more, much more, to Christmas than candlelight and cheer; It's the spirit of sweet friendship that brightens all year. It's thoughtfulness and kindness, It's hope reborn again, For peace, for understanding, And for goodwill to men!"

Turning Leaves Book Club
Holiday gathering @ Sanders
12/2/2011

Merry Christmas friends and best wishes for a new year full of great books and interesting conversation!

November 2011 - Mountains Beyond Mountains

Five members of Turning Leaves Book Club met at Geri Beckman's home on November 14th to discuss the book Mountains Beyond Mountains: The Quest of Dr. Paul Farmer, A Man Who Would Cure the World by Tracy Kidder. 

A quick description of the book from the publisher:

In medical school, Paul Farmer found his life’s calling: to cure infectious diseases and to bring the lifesaving tools of modern medicine to those who need them most. Kidder’s magnificent account takes us from Harvard to Haiti, Peru, Cuba, and Russia as Farmer changes minds and practices through his dedication to the philosophy that “the only real nation is humanity.” At the heart of this book is the example of a life based on hope and on an understanding of the truth of the Haitian proverb “Beyond mountains there are mountains”–as you solve one problem, another problem presents itself, and so you go on and try to solve that one too.

The group was somewhat divided in opinion about the book, with ratings ranging from quite low to very high.  Everyone was in agreement that Dr. Farmer was an amazing person to read about, but the book was somewhat cumbersome to read at times. 

Dr. Farmer's story made for some interesting conversations about personal sacrifice (what good do we do not for ourselves?), generosity, tradeoffs that we make, and distribution of wealth and medical services throughout the world.   The title was an appropriate one for this one and for life in general, as as you struggle and fight to climb over one mountain, there is always another one beyond to provide further challenge.

After discussion of the book, Geri served a decadent apple cake with caramel topping where the group finalized plans for our holiday outing on Friday, December 2nd at Sanders in Grand Forks.  This will be our meeting for the month and no books are planned for December.  Looking ahead, we added These is My Words: The Diary of Sarah Agnes Prine to our reading list for January.  Mary Weltz is planning to host that month.  The book for February will by Ordinary People by Judith Guest. 

The Day I Ate Whatever I Wanted - October 2011

Marcia Rost hosted the book club at her home on Thursday, October 27th.  We had a nice turnout this month, with only a couple of the members unable to make it. 

Our book this month was a book of short stories by Elizabeth Berg titled The Day I Ate Whatever I Wanted.  A customer review on Amazon.com summarizes the book as follows:

In the title story, the narrator leaves a Weight Watchers meeting and vows to eat whatever she wants all day long. She starts out at Dunkin' Donuts, carrying a box of her favorites to her car. "I looked around and there was no one so I ran my tongue along every single surface of every single donut.... Sexual in a way, but more yeasty and better." Later she gives precise directions from Chicago's O'Hare airport to a Superdawg -- just in case you share her passion for Whoopercheesies.

More poignant stories describe an elderly couple's old dog dying and a chance encounter a middle-aged woman has with her first love.

What all of the stories share is humanity. Regardless of which one you're reading, you find yourself nodding your head, thinking "Yes, that's true."

Here's the list of stories:
1. The Day I Ate Whatever I Wanted
2. Returns and Exchanges
3. The Party
4. Over the Hill and into the Woods
5. Full Count
6. Rain
7. The Day I Ate Nothing I Even Remotely Wanted
8. Mrs. Ethel Menafee and Mrs. Birdie Stoltz
9. Double Diet
10. The Only One of Millions Just Like Him
11. Truth or Dare
12. How to Make an Apple Pie
13. Sin City
 The book was generally liked by the group with ratings ranging from a 6 to 8.5.  Some found it more difficult to "get in to" the short stories where the characters and plot do not have as much time to develop.  The group varied in the extent they could relate to some of the stories too.  The discussion questions were fun to go through and spawned talks of what we would do to be spontaneous (full meals with top shelf alcohol and 2 desserts, buttered popcorn and a cigarette, flying off to Vegas or to see a show, etc) to first kisses (not sure where that came from). 

Marcia topped the evening off by serving a delectable frozen dessert.  Thank you Marcia for your hospitality and having us in your home.

Looking ahead, we are planning to read Mountains Beyond Mountains: The Quest of Dr. Paul Farmer, A Man Who Would Cure the World by Tracy Kidder.  Geri will be hosting at her home on November 14th at 7:00 pm.  At that time we will finalize plans for a holiday outing, most likely on December 2 or 3.

On a sad note, we say goodbye (hopefully just temporarily) to two longstanding members.  Char and Pam have decided to put book club on hold for a while.  We wish them well as they focus on other areas of their busy lives, but we hope to have them back again soon.  Be sure to keep up with all of us on this blog girls!

Happy Reading!

 

"You cannot open a book without learning something." Confucius