I'm setting the new Book Club meeting for Friday, July 23rd at 6:30 p.m. unless I get any major objections. The food challenge will remain the same!
Hope you have all had a pleasant Memorial Day!
Monday, May 31, 2010
Wednesday, May 26, 2010
um...maybe not...
There's a conflict on July 16th. It's Bronwyn's MRI, which is a pretty big deal. (I hope you don't mind me publishing that, Marie.) Is there any other date in July that will work for everyone? The votes indicated that there are conflicts on the other dates, but I didn't include July 23rd, 24th, 30th or 31st on the poll. Nor did I include any weeknights.
I'm giving up on having polls. Please comment or send an email, and let me know which dates you have available.
Thanks!
I'm giving up on having polls. Please comment or send an email, and let me know which dates you have available.
Thanks!
Friday, July 16th at 6:30 p.m.
Mark it on your calendars--Friday, July 16th, 6:30 p.m. for our next book club meeting at our house!
I think I will make our meal a challenge in keeping with our discussion about food--and my new diet restrictions. (Haha--and I thought I was joking earlier when I threatened to make the meal organic, free-range and grass-fed!)
So here's the challenge: See if you can make something wheat, gluten, dairy, egg, sugar, yeast, blueberry, mushroom, cod, crab, sesame, and almond-free. (It doesn't really have to be organic--I've just found that most stuff I can find just happens to be anyway.) It can be a main dish, a side dish, a dessert, or a bowl of fruit! And if you can--make sure you bring a copy of the recipe for me! If you can't--no worries, I'll have a few dishes prepared. We may cook some things on the grill outside since it should be warm by then, so if you want to grill something, that's an option. If you have any questions, send me an email or a comment.
I'm looking forward to our next get-together!
I think I will make our meal a challenge in keeping with our discussion about food--and my new diet restrictions. (Haha--and I thought I was joking earlier when I threatened to make the meal organic, free-range and grass-fed!)
So here's the challenge: See if you can make something wheat, gluten, dairy, egg, sugar, yeast, blueberry, mushroom, cod, crab, sesame, and almond-free. (It doesn't really have to be organic--I've just found that most stuff I can find just happens to be anyway.) It can be a main dish, a side dish, a dessert, or a bowl of fruit! And if you can--make sure you bring a copy of the recipe for me! If you can't--no worries, I'll have a few dishes prepared. We may cook some things on the grill outside since it should be warm by then, so if you want to grill something, that's an option. If you have any questions, send me an email or a comment.
I'm looking forward to our next get-together!
Tuesday, May 11, 2010
Polls are closed...
and the winner is "East of Eden."
Stay tuned for details about the next meeting!
Stay tuned for details about the next meeting!
Saturday, May 1, 2010
And the finalists for next time are...
The Forgotten Man, by Amity Shlaes
This breezy narrative comes from the pen of a veteran journalist and economics reporter. Rather than telling a new story, she tells an old one (scarcely lacking for historians) in a fresh way. Shlaes brings to the tale an emphasis on economic realities and consequences, especially when seen from the perspective of monetarist theory, and a focus on particular individuals and events, both celebrated and forgotten (at least relatively so). Thus the spotlight plays not only on Andrew Mellon, Wendell Wilkie and Rexford Tugwell but also on Father Divine and the Schechter brothers—kosher butcher wholesalers prosecuted by the federal National Recovery Administration for selling "sick chickens." As befits a former writer for the Wall Street Journal, Shlaes is sensitive to the dangers of government intervention in the economy—but also to the danger of the government's not intervening. In her telling, policymakers of the 1920s weren't so incompetent as they're often made out to be—everyone in the 1930s was floundering and all made errors—and WWII, not the New Deal, ended the Depression. This is plausible history, if not authoritative, novel or deeply analytical. It's also a thoughtful, even-tempered corrective to too often unbalanced celebrations of FDR and his administration's pathbreaking policies. Publisher's Weekly
No Apology, by Mitt Romney
In No Apology, Mitt Romney asserts that American strength is essential—not just for our own well-being, but for the world’s. Governments such as China and a newly-robust Russia threaten to overtake us on many fronts, and radical Islam continues its dangerous rise. Drawing on history for lessons on how great powers collapse, Romney shows how and why our national advantages have eroded. From the long-term decline of our manufacturing base, our laggard educational system that has left us without enough engineers, scientists, and other skilled professionals, our corrupted financial practices that led to the current crisis, and the crushing impact of entitlements on our future obligations, America is in debt, overtaxed, and unprepared for the challenges it must face.
We need renewal: fresh ideas to cut through complicated problems and restore our strength. Creative and bold, Romney proposes simple solutions to rebuild industry, create good jobs, reduce out of control spending on entitlements and healthcare, dramatically improve education, and restore a military battered by eight years of war. Most important, he calls for a new commitment to citizenship, a common cause we all share, rather than a laundry list of individual demands. Many of his solutions oppose President Obama’s policies, many also run counter to Republican thinking, but all have one strategic aim: to move America back to political and economic strength.
Personal and dynamically-argued, No Apology is a call to action by a man who cares deeply about America’s history, its promise, and its future. Amazon.com
The Count of Monte Cristo, by Alexander Dumas
(the unabridged version translated by Robin Buss is the most highly recommended version, but if we didn't all read the same version, that would be fine)
For Edmond Dantes, life couldn't be better. At 19, he is soon to be captain of his own ship and about to be married to his true love, Mercedes. But his life is suddenly turned upside down when on his wedding day he is arrested. Without a fair trial, he is condemned to solitary confinement in the miserable Chateau d'If. Soon, it is clear that Edmond has been framed by a handful of powerful enemies, jealous of his success. Barnes and Noble
East of Eden, by John Steinbeck
This sprawling and often brutal novel, set in the rich farmlands of California's Salinas Valley, follows the intertwined destinies of two families--the Trasks and the Hamiltons--whose generations helplessly reenact the fall of Adam and Eve and the poisonous rivalry of Cain and Abel. "A strange and original work of art."--New York Times Book Review.
We're hoping to schedule the next meeting for a time when the Walkers are in town, so either mid-June, or towards the beginning of July. Most of the books here are way, super long, so we figured we'd want a little extra time to get through them. Not only do we want to include the Walkers, we want everyone to come, so all of you email me if there are any dates that you aren't going to be here.
p.s. I'm not sure what we're eating yet, but I'm pretty sure it will be free-range, organic and grass-fed! :)
This breezy narrative comes from the pen of a veteran journalist and economics reporter. Rather than telling a new story, she tells an old one (scarcely lacking for historians) in a fresh way. Shlaes brings to the tale an emphasis on economic realities and consequences, especially when seen from the perspective of monetarist theory, and a focus on particular individuals and events, both celebrated and forgotten (at least relatively so). Thus the spotlight plays not only on Andrew Mellon, Wendell Wilkie and Rexford Tugwell but also on Father Divine and the Schechter brothers—kosher butcher wholesalers prosecuted by the federal National Recovery Administration for selling "sick chickens." As befits a former writer for the Wall Street Journal, Shlaes is sensitive to the dangers of government intervention in the economy—but also to the danger of the government's not intervening. In her telling, policymakers of the 1920s weren't so incompetent as they're often made out to be—everyone in the 1930s was floundering and all made errors—and WWII, not the New Deal, ended the Depression. This is plausible history, if not authoritative, novel or deeply analytical. It's also a thoughtful, even-tempered corrective to too often unbalanced celebrations of FDR and his administration's pathbreaking policies. Publisher's Weekly
No Apology, by Mitt Romney
In No Apology, Mitt Romney asserts that American strength is essential—not just for our own well-being, but for the world’s. Governments such as China and a newly-robust Russia threaten to overtake us on many fronts, and radical Islam continues its dangerous rise. Drawing on history for lessons on how great powers collapse, Romney shows how and why our national advantages have eroded. From the long-term decline of our manufacturing base, our laggard educational system that has left us without enough engineers, scientists, and other skilled professionals, our corrupted financial practices that led to the current crisis, and the crushing impact of entitlements on our future obligations, America is in debt, overtaxed, and unprepared for the challenges it must face.
We need renewal: fresh ideas to cut through complicated problems and restore our strength. Creative and bold, Romney proposes simple solutions to rebuild industry, create good jobs, reduce out of control spending on entitlements and healthcare, dramatically improve education, and restore a military battered by eight years of war. Most important, he calls for a new commitment to citizenship, a common cause we all share, rather than a laundry list of individual demands. Many of his solutions oppose President Obama’s policies, many also run counter to Republican thinking, but all have one strategic aim: to move America back to political and economic strength.
Personal and dynamically-argued, No Apology is a call to action by a man who cares deeply about America’s history, its promise, and its future. Amazon.com
The Count of Monte Cristo, by Alexander Dumas
(the unabridged version translated by Robin Buss is the most highly recommended version, but if we didn't all read the same version, that would be fine)
For Edmond Dantes, life couldn't be better. At 19, he is soon to be captain of his own ship and about to be married to his true love, Mercedes. But his life is suddenly turned upside down when on his wedding day he is arrested. Without a fair trial, he is condemned to solitary confinement in the miserable Chateau d'If. Soon, it is clear that Edmond has been framed by a handful of powerful enemies, jealous of his success. Barnes and Noble
East of Eden, by John Steinbeck
This sprawling and often brutal novel, set in the rich farmlands of California's Salinas Valley, follows the intertwined destinies of two families--the Trasks and the Hamiltons--whose generations helplessly reenact the fall of Adam and Eve and the poisonous rivalry of Cain and Abel. "A strange and original work of art."--New York Times Book Review.
We're hoping to schedule the next meeting for a time when the Walkers are in town, so either mid-June, or towards the beginning of July. Most of the books here are way, super long, so we figured we'd want a little extra time to get through them. Not only do we want to include the Walkers, we want everyone to come, so all of you email me if there are any dates that you aren't going to be here.
p.s. I'm not sure what we're eating yet, but I'm pretty sure it will be free-range, organic and grass-fed! :)
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