Between the Covers

End of a chapter

2010-01-20T14:09:00.003-05:00

This is the not the final chapter of our Between the Covers, just the end of this particular one. The few of us who attended Carol's meeting to discuss "Lowboy" agreed that this is a good time to suspend our book club. We threw around the idea of turning it into a film club, where we meet to see an independent or classic movie and then go out for drinks to discuss it. If you'd like to participate in a film club, let us know.

Carol also asked us to tell each other about noteworthy books we've read. So, if you couldn't put down a book, let us know about it. Either e-mail the group or post a comment on our blog. (If you need another invitation to write on the blog, let me know and I'll send you one.) With that in mind, Carol and Cathy recommended one of our book nominees, Colum McCann's "Let the Great World Spin." Cathy also said that she enjoyed Bonnie Jo Campbell's brutal "American Salvage." And Carol recommended another one of her choices, "I Am Not Sidney Poitier."

As for our last book, "Lowboy," everyone at our meeting -- Carol, Cathy, Francine, Tracy and I -- thought it was well-written, compelling book. Carol said she thought the author, John Wray, gave "an authentic portrayal of a schizophrenic without being condescending." Francine especially enjoyed reading the book, which takes place mainly under New York City, while she rode on the subway. All of us wanted to see the abandoned City Hall stop Wray so beautifully wrote about. So, if you haven't read "Lowboy," we encourage you to do so. Wray has been compared to other writers we've read, including Joseph O'Neill, Jonathan Lethem and Junot Diaz.

I want to thank everyone for participating in "Between the Covers" over these last few years. All of our meetings are memorable as much for their lively conversations as for their delicious fare. While I will miss them, I am grateful that we were able to get together to discuss books. We read more than 20 books, including:

Snow
Unaccustomed Earth
Housekeeping
Special Topics in Calamity Physics
The Sea
Zeitoun
Lowboy
Never Let Me Go
Netherland
Wind-up Bird Chronicles
By the Lake
The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo
Fear of Flying
White Teeth
The History of Love
The Time Traveler's Wife
The Brief Wondrous Life of Oscar Wao
Misfortune
Persepolis

In closing, I wanted to let everyone know that a theatrical adaptation of Jane Austen's "Emma" begins on Masterpiece Theater this Sunday. If you're interested in meeting to discuss "Emma," let us know. Maybe we could meet for a couple of hours in a cozy bar.

Lowboy is our next book

2009-11-07T12:09:00.003-05:00

All the votes are in; "Lowboy" by John Wray (at left) is the our next book. We'll be meeting at Carol's home in Ft. Greene, Brooklyn. Dec. 13th seemed to be the most convenient date. Carol will send out directions and a time later. In the meantime, get ready to take a ride to another place that is both familiar and foreign:

The book opens on a November morning, when 16-year-old William Heller enters the Manhattan subway system. Talking to an aged Sikh seated next to him, William explains he has a fondness for riding trains, specifically subways — hence his nickname, “Lowboy.” His voice drops when he asks if the Sikh understands him. He checks over his shoulder to see if he’s being followed. “The Sikh religion,” he confides knowingly to the puzzled Sikh, “is less than 70 years old.” Soon he curses, impatient.

See you next month...

Carol's 3 choices

2009-11-01T20:12:00.004-05:00

Carol writes:

I have three book choices, one from Tim and others from talking with friends. The Paul Auster book is an old title, so I'm thinking some may have read it already.

1) Lowboy (John Wray)

2) Book of Illusions ( (Paul Auster)

3) I Am Not Sidney Poitier ( Percival Everett).

The dates, I think, will be hard due to holidays but let's start with 12/6 and 12/13.

Remember: Vote early and often. We will tally up the votes in a few days and send out the winner by Friday.

Gumbo fest

2009-10-21T14:25:00.007-04:00

If you weren't able to make our book club meeting earlier this month, you missed out on some lively discussion and some tasty vitals. Cathy made not one, but two pots of gumbo: a vegan one and an omnivore one with chicken and shrimp. Both were delicious.

Carol made sweet and moist cornbread and I made a savory endive salad with a mustard and maple syrup dressing. And Francine brought some New Orleans pecan-flavored brew: Abita. Not surprisingly, we didn't have many leftovers.

Now for the book. Everyone enjoyed Zeitoun, but some found that the narrative style detracted from the story. Francine criticized the simple language, saying it was "low level." Cathy disagreed, saying that the language fit with the story. I thought that the story could have been told in a long magazine magazine feature a la The New Yorker. Eggers repeated many of the same details throughout the book. Francine agreed, saying it could have been edited more tightly. Mary also agreed. Even though she wasn't able to attend, she wanted to share some of her thoughts on the book. Here they are:

i liked it but i thought (as i have with his previous books) it could have used a good edit. i enjoyed his choice of style of writing it -- kind of like a biblical narrative, simple words and strong images --- and appropriate use of relgious passages. the end was so interesting when he changed voice into reporter/factual mode with the voices of other people in the story (cops, friends).

Tim later read the book and said that he didn't mind the book's simple language. He said that it reflected the fact that "Zeitoun" was essentially the personal story of Zeitoun and the book let us see the events through his eyes. Even though we had differences over the style, we all thought that "Zeitoun" told a powerful story about America.

After reading "Zeitoun," I was disgusted with our country. I thought that Eggers illustrated how much more we, as citizens, have to do to make sure America lives up to its ideals. I'm sure I'm not the only one who thought it was sad that these events happened in our country, not in some faraway land.

I didn't take notes at our book club meeting, so I wasn't able to remember everyone's comments. If you'd like to add your thoughts, please do. Carol has volunteered to hold the next book club meeting. As soon as she sends me her choices and some tentative dates, I'll post them.

Zeitoun floats to the top

2009-09-11T12:36:00.004-04:00

I am pleased to announce that our next book is Zeitoun, Dave Eggers' account of the Zeitoun family's ordeals in New Orleans after Hurricane Katrina. Though this will be our first nonfiction book, reviewers say it reads like a work of literature. In The New York Times Book Review one wrote, "Imagine Charles Dickens, his sentimentality in check but his journalistic eyes wide open, roaming New Orleans after it was buried by Hurricane Katrina."

And Vanity Fair's James Wolcott wrote: "[It’s] unmistakably a narrative feat, slowly pulling the reader into the oncoming vortex without literary trickery or theatrical devices, reminiscent of Mailer’s Executioner’s Song but less craftily self-conscious in the exercise of its restraint. Humanistic, that is, in the highest, best, least boring sense of the word.”

The book also offers a rich culinary experience. Abdulrahman Zeitoun, the main character, is originally from Syria, but made New Orleans his adoptive home. I don't know about you, but I'm already looking forward to Cathy's menu for our literary evening. In the meantime, here's an article on Egger's book and the Zeitoun's experiences in The Times-Picayune.

Cathy's 3 Choices

2009-08-31T21:32:00.004-04:00

As I was picking up a Ribba picture frame, Vippa clothes hooks, Anna ginger snaps and numerous other well-designed Swedish tchotchkes at IKEA the other day, I thought about The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo. Then I started regretting that I had missed eating Pam's Cedar-Plank Salmon -- and, of course, discussing the Stieg Larsson's thriller at her BBQ. I am also disappointed that I missed Dulcy's meeting on The Brief Wondrous Life of Oscar Wao. I hope everyone enjoyed reading both books this summer. I did.

Now it's time for our fall book club. Cathy has volunteered to host it at her house on Sunday, Oct. 11. Please let her know, if this date works for you. Please vote for one her choices. Cathy will announce the winner next week.

Zeiton by Dave Eggers (The Times had an amazing review of this book on Katrina the other week.)
Let the World Spin: A Novel by Colum McCann
Serena: A Novel by Ron Rash

Though they're all new books and in hardcover, they are available on Amazon.com for between $14 and $16. And, of course, free at your local library.

Mary mentioned some interesting books shortlisted for the Booker Prize in her July post. I have been eager to read Colm Toibin's Brooklyn. Though I'd be happy to read any and all of them.

Mary, maybe you would be interested in hosting our winter meeting? Hint, hint.

Inspiration for future books?

2009-07-30T15:16:00.001-04:00

http://www.guardian.co.uk/books/2009/jul/28/heavyweights-clash-booker-longlist/print

Literary heavyweights in the form of AS Byatt, JM Coetzee and Colm Tóibín were today named on the 13-strong longlist for the Booker prize.

The broadcaster James Naughtie, who is chairing this year's judges, called it one of the "strongest lists in recent memory" with a good span of styles and themes.

Two former winners are nominated. Byatt, who won in 1990 for Possession, is longlisted for The Children's Book, an almost staggeringly detailed book set between 1895 and 1919 which explores the Edwardian cult of childhood. And Coetzee, who won in 1999 for Disgrace, is named for his yet-to-be-published novel Summertime.

One of the most popular books to make the list is Hilary Mantel's Wolf Hall, which recreates the Tudor court of Henry VIII seen through the eyes of the king's most trusted adviser, Thomas Cromwell. The novel – expect it to be popular beach reading this summer – has been one of the best-reviewed books of the year so far. The Guardian's Christopher Tayler called it "a display of Mantel's extraordinary talent" adding: "Lyrically yet cleanly and tightly written, solidly imagined yet filled with spooky resonances, and very funny at times, it's not like much else in contemporary British fiction."

Many would be pleased if this was the year for one of Ireland's most acclaimed writers, Colm Tóibín. He has been a Booker bridesmaid twice – shortlisted in 1999 for The Blackwater Lightship and in 2004 for The Master, which by all accounts came extremely close – and is this year longlisted for his funny and moving study of belonging, Brooklyn.

Other established names on the list include Sarah Waters for The Little Stranger, William Trevor for Love and Summer and Sarah Hall for How to Paint a Dead Man.

Judges will now meet in a month's time and whittle the list down to six. The other longlisted novels are Adam Foulds for The Quickening Maze, Samantha Harvey for The Wilderness, James Lever for Me Cheeta, Simon Mawer for The Glass Room, Ed O'Loughlin for Not Untrue & Not Unkind and James Scudamore for Heliopolis.

Book Club - Queens BBQ Edition

2009-07-30T09:27:00.003-04:00

Details for this Sunday, August 2nd book club where we will discuss Girl with the Dragon Tattoo.

Time: 4pm

Address:
4110 47th Street
Sunnyside, Queens

Catch the 7 train to 46th Street/Bliss Street Station. I am a block and 3/4 north of the subway station on 47th St.

Hint when you get out of the subway: You know you're going in the right direction (north) when you cross Queens Blvd and see the Starbucks and T-Mobile stores. If you see a funky, weird art deco "Sunnyside" arch you are in the wrong direction.

Menu items will include:
- Cedar plank salmon
- Grilled chicken with mango salad
- White bean on bruschetta
- Pie for dessert

Call me at 917-698-8183 if you get lost or have any questions.

Update on the next book club

2009-07-16T15:04:00.001-04:00

It's confirmed! The next book club will be at my house on Sunday, August 2nd. I'll post details and directions as the date nears.

Winner: Swedish thriller

2009-06-08T13:40:00.002-04:00

Pam writes:

Hi Everyone,

We have a winner: The Girl with the Dragon Tatto by Stieg Larsson. Just a pointer that the paperback version is coming out on June 23rd, so you may want to either borrow the hard cover version from the library or wait until the cheaper paperback version comes out.

The date is Sunday, 7/19. Time and location will be posted to the blog as the event nears.

Thanks for voting everyone!

Cheers,
Pam

Pam's 3 choices

2009-06-02T13:00:00.003-04:00

Pam writes:

Hi Folks,

Happy to host the Between the Covers meeting for July! Bbq will be the cuisine du jour, despite there being no mention of bbq or southern locales in my selections, because well I'm having this in my backyard and I have an awesome gas grill.

Here are some possible dates: Saturday July 18 or Sunday July 19.

Girl with the Dragon Tattoo by Stieg Larsson
Not exactly summer fare, but Swedish murder mystery tells the story about Mikael Blomkvist, a once-respected financial journalist, watches his professional life rapidly crumble around him until an unexpected (and unsettling) offer to resurrect his name is extended. The catch--and there's always a catch--is that Blomkvist must first spend a year researching a mysterious disappearance that has remained unsolved for nearly four decades. (see description on Amazon here)

“Combine the chilly Swedish backdrop and moody psychodrama of a Bergman movie with the grisly pyrotechnics of a serial-killer thriller, then add an angry punk heroine and a down-on-his-luck investigative journalist, and you have the ingredients of Stieg Larsson’s first novel.”
—Michiko Kakutani, The New York Times

The White Tiger by Aravind Adiga
This is a tale of Balram Halwai, a chauffer to a weathly man in Dehli, who hails from a small village in a backwater region of India. who murders his employer as justifying step out of his low caste system.

"In this darkly comic début novel set in India, Balram, a chauffeur, murders his employer, justifying his crime as the act of a "social entrepreneur." ... He places the blame for his rage squarely on the avarice of the Indian élite, among whom bribes are commonplace, and who perpetuate a system in which many are sacrificed to the whims of a few. Adiga’s message isn’t subtle or novel, but Balram’s appealingly sardonic voice and acute observations of the social order are both winning and unsettling."
- The New Yorker

Cloud Atlas (warning: it's 500 pages long)
This novel presents 6 different narratives and among the volume's most engaging story lines is a witty 1930s-era chronicle, via letters, of a young musician's effort to become an amanuensis for a renowned, blind composer and a hilarious account of a modern-day vanity publisher who is institutionalized by a stroke and plans a madcap escape in order to return to his literary empire (such as it is). Mitchell's ability to throw his voice may remind some readers of David Foster Wallace, though the intermittent hollowness of his ventriloquism frustrates.
- Publisher's Weekly

New date?

2009-05-28T12:42:00.001-04:00

hey,
wasn't sure if I missed a make up date but thought I would check as well as attempting this post, trying to embrace blogging...
C

"Road" not taken

2009-05-09T16:50:00.002-04:00

If you haven't read our runner-up, "Revolutionary Road," I encourage you to do so. Though the novel was completed about a half century ago, it reads as if it were written today. The language is crisp, spare, but poignant. Even the story itself about how a young couple's volatile ambitions and passions upset their lives could seems contemporary, especially in the aftermath of our consumption orgy. "Revolutionary Road" reminded me of Cheever's "The Swimmer": not so much a snapshot of suburban Americana in the '50, but more of a fable about human nature.

Of course, I didn't see the movie starring Kate and Leo, so my images of the characters weren't already formed. Cathy found it impossible to read the book without envisioning the "Titantic" stars. But as Dulcy wrote earlier: Forget the movie. And read the book.

Rice and beans

2009-05-08T10:07:00.002-04:00

Dulcy writes:

Hey Everyone,

Come over at 7:00 on Sunday, May 17 to discuss Oscar Wao. I'll make
beans, rice, and chicken. If you want to bring a small
Caribbean-themed dish or dessert to augment, that'd be great (let me
know what it will be so I can be sure there are no gaps). And if you
just want to bring a bottle of wine, that'll come in handy, too.

Address is:
1209 8th Ave. 3L
Brooklyn

Take the F train to 7th Avenue station. If you're at the front of the
train, you'll come out onto 8th Avenue and 9th Street. Walk up to 12th
Street on 8th Ave. We're on 8th between 12th and 13th.

Home phone is 718-852-9635
Cell is 917-887-6870

See you then!

Obama reading Netherland

2009-05-05T15:47:00.002-04:00

Interesting tidbit brought to my attention via the Ditmas Park Blog:

The Times Magazine reports President Obama "he had become sick enough of briefing books to begin reading a novel in the evening" -- Joseph O'Neill's Netherland, which is set in part at a house on Rugby Road just off Cortelyou.

Maybe "Brief Wondrous Life of Oscar Wao" is next....

Food for thought

2009-05-04T13:54:00.004-04:00

If you haven't finished reading, "The Brief Wondrous Life of Oscar Wao," hurry up! Our next book club meeting is on May 17th at 7 p.m. at Dulcy's Park Slope apartment.

The main characters are Dominican, so Dulcy is thinking that we could have Caribbean fare for dinner. She is open for suggestions, so let us know what you'd like to bring. If you can't bring a a small dish or appetizer, you can always a bottle of wine.

To find out more about Dominican food, read Junot Diaz's article on Dominican food in New York City for Gourmet. The national dish is la bandera -- "the flag" -- made with rice, brown beans and some kind of chicken or steak.

The winner is ...

2009-03-25T22:15:00.000-04:00

Dulcy breaks the tie:

wow! this is actually hard cause I want to read them all. ok, oscar
wao, though like I said, I'm very torn!

More details will follow. In the meantime, start thinking of some Dominican dishes -- that is, anything besides stewed goat.

Ballot boxing

2009-03-25T21:40:00.000-04:00

Here are the results, but not the final ones. Dulcy still hasn't voted.

Francine: The Brief Wondrous Life of Oscar Wao
Nancy: Revolutionary Road
Carol: No preference. (Very post-bipartisanship of you.)
Cathy: The Brief Wondrous Life of Oscar Wao (Apology accepted.)
Me: Revolutionary Road (I chose the one less traveled -- for a while.)
Amy: The Road
Seana: The Road (If you're a Viggo fan, be sure to see "A Walk on the Moon.")
Pam: The Brief Wondrous Life of Oscar Wao
Laura: Revolutionary Road

The Brief Wondrous Life of Oscar Wao and Revolutionary Road each have three votes, so Dulcy will have to break the tie.

I will post her final choice tomorrow.

Dulcy's 3 Choices

2009-03-23T13:50:00.000-04:00

The envelope please. And Dulcy's three choices for our next book are...

Revolutionary Road by Richard Yates (Forget the movie. this book was recommended by three tough critics: Wook Kim, Rob Brunner and Sarina Israel--yes, a relation.)

The Brief Wondrous Life of Oscar Wao by Junot Diaz (Originally, my first choice--but I'm equally interested in all three of these books.)

The Road by Cormac McCarthy (the NYT says it posseses "pure, savage beauty." (Wook said it's one of the best nonfiction books he's read in years.)

Let us know which one you'd prefer to read and get back to us in the next two days. Dulcy is suggesting that we meet on Sunday, May 10. Let us know if that date works for you.

Next book?

2009-02-26T14:31:00.000-05:00

Just because we still read printed words on paper doesn't mean we can't embrace new technologies. With that in mind, I decided to start a blog. Hopefully, this will make it easier for us to schedule meetings, choose books, share our thoughts on what we've read -- or want to read, and swap recipes. (Helen, do you still have the recipe for Watergate Pudding?) Maybe we'll even be able to post links to audio files. I wish we had the recording of Mary's mom discussing her take on "Fear of Flying."

Dulcy has offered to host the next book club meeting in April. When she has some possible dates, they'll be posted on this blog and we can let her know which date works best. Also, we're going to start voting on book selections. Several people have mentioned to me that they wish they had more of a say in what we read. To make this more democratic, Dulcy will be providing us with three choices. So this doesn't become a long, drawn out process, we'll have two days to post our comments on which book we prefer.

I hope Between the Covers blog helps us stay in touch between meetings and gives us an opportunity to discuss books -- even ones we're not reading for the club. If anyone has any suggestions on making this blog or our group better, please let us know.

By the way. Mary's book choice, Joseph O'Neill's "Netherland," won the 2009 PEN/Faulkner award for fiction.