Everyone was all partied out from the Memorial Day holiday weekend, so we needed an extra week for Special Topics in Calamity Physics. Join us on Tuesday June 8th at 7:30!
Didn't read the book?
COME ANYWAY! We're fun, I promise.
Thursday, June 3, 2010
Special Topics- June 8th
Everyone was all partied out from the Memorial Day holiday weekend, so we needed an extra week for Special Topics in Calamity Physics. Join us on Tuesday June 8th at 7:30!
Didn't read the book?
COME ANYWAY! We're fun, I promise.
UPDATE-Garlic and Sapphires
Hi gals,
The next book will be Garlic and Sapphires, however we are canceling the July meeting. We will push the discussion for this book until August 3rd.
GARLIC AND SAPPHIRES is Ruth Reichl's riotous account of the many disguises she employs to dine anonymously. There is her stint as Molly Hollis, a frumpy blond with manicured nails and an off-beige Armani suit that Ruth takes on when reviewing Le Cirque. The result: her famous double review of the restaurant: first she ate there as Molly; and then as she was coddled and pampered on her visit there as Ruth, New York Times food critic.
What is even more remarkable about Reichl's spy games is that as she takes on these various disguises, she finds herself changed not just superficially, but in character as well. She gives a remarkable account of how one's outer appearance can very much influence one's inner character, expectations, and appetites.
As she writes, "Every restaurant is a theater . . . even the modest restaurants offer the opportunity to become someone else, at least for a little while." GARLIC AND SAPPHIRES is a reflection on personal identity and role playing in the decadent, epicurean theaters of the restaurant world.
Wednesday, May 12, 2010
secrets everywhere!
Friends, we have a sister-blog!
visit Secretlycookish.blogspot.com to see the latest and greatest tips, recipes, and SF finds. Books, food, friends...what else does a woman need?
visit Secretlycookish.blogspot.com to see the latest and greatest tips, recipes, and SF finds. Books, food, friends...what else does a woman need?
Wednesday, May 5, 2010
Choices for June 29th
Hello friends,
June is a 5 week month, and July is the time of vacations! The 4th is right around book club time so I though we could bump this round up a week. Let me know if that doesn't work for anyone!
Brittany gives us our options, a lovely selection below:
Garlic & Sapphires
by Ruth Reichl
Garlic and Sapphires is Ruth Reichl's riotous account of the many disguises she employs to dine anonymously. There is her stint as Molly Hollis, a frumpy blond with manicured nails and an off-beige Armani suit that Ruth takes on when reviewing Le Cirque. The result: her famous double review of the restaurant: first she ate there as Molly; and then as she was coddled and pampered on her visit there as Ruth, New York Times food critic.
What is even more remarkable about Reichl's spy games is that as she takes on these various disguises, she finds herself changed not just superficially, but in character as well. She gives a remarkable account of how one's outer appearance can very much influence one's inner character, expectations, and appetites.
As she writes, "Every restaurant is a theater . . . even the modest restaurants offer the opportunity to become someone else, at least for a little while." GARLIC AND SAPPHIRES is a reflection on personal identity and role playing in the decadent, epicurean theaters of the restaurant world.
Good to Great
by Jim Collins
The findings of the Good to Great study will surprise many readers and shed light on virtually every area of management strategy and practice. The findings include:
* Level 5 Leaders: The research team was shocked to discover the type of leadership required to achieve greatness.
* The Hedgehog Concept (Simplicity within the Three Circles): To go from good to great requires transcending the curse of competence.
* A Culture of Discipline: When you combine a culture of discipline with an ethic of entrepreneurship, you get the magical alchemy of great results. Technology
* Accelerators: Good-to-great companies think differently about the role of technology.
* The Flywheel and the Doom Loop: Those who launch radical change programs and wrenching restructurings will almost certainly fail to make the leap.
The Hiding Place
by John & Elizabeth Sherrill
Corrie ten Boom was a woman admired the world over for her courage, her forgiveness, and her memorable faith. In World War II, she and her family risked their lives to help Jews escape the Nazis, and their reward was a trip to Hitler's concentration camps. But she survived and was released—as a result of a clerical error—and now shares the story of how faith triumphs over evil.
For thirty-five years Corrie's dramatic life story, full of timeless virtues, has prepared readers to face their own futures with faith, relying on God's love to overcome, heal, and restore. Now releasing in a thirty-fifth anniversary edition for a new generation of readers, The Hiding Place tells the riveting story of how a middle-aged Dutch watchmaker became a heroine of the Resistance, a survivor of Hitler's death camps, and one of the most remarkable evangelists of the twentieth century.
June is a 5 week month, and July is the time of vacations! The 4th is right around book club time so I though we could bump this round up a week. Let me know if that doesn't work for anyone!
Brittany gives us our options, a lovely selection below:
Garlic & Sapphires
by Ruth Reichl
Garlic and Sapphires is Ruth Reichl's riotous account of the many disguises she employs to dine anonymously. There is her stint as Molly Hollis, a frumpy blond with manicured nails and an off-beige Armani suit that Ruth takes on when reviewing Le Cirque. The result: her famous double review of the restaurant: first she ate there as Molly; and then as she was coddled and pampered on her visit there as Ruth, New York Times food critic.
What is even more remarkable about Reichl's spy games is that as she takes on these various disguises, she finds herself changed not just superficially, but in character as well. She gives a remarkable account of how one's outer appearance can very much influence one's inner character, expectations, and appetites.
As she writes, "Every restaurant is a theater . . . even the modest restaurants offer the opportunity to become someone else, at least for a little while." GARLIC AND SAPPHIRES is a reflection on personal identity and role playing in the decadent, epicurean theaters of the restaurant world.
Good to Great
by Jim Collins
The findings of the Good to Great study will surprise many readers and shed light on virtually every area of management strategy and practice. The findings include:
* Level 5 Leaders: The research team was shocked to discover the type of leadership required to achieve greatness.
* The Hedgehog Concept (Simplicity within the Three Circles): To go from good to great requires transcending the curse of competence.
* A Culture of Discipline: When you combine a culture of discipline with an ethic of entrepreneurship, you get the magical alchemy of great results. Technology
* Accelerators: Good-to-great companies think differently about the role of technology.
* The Flywheel and the Doom Loop: Those who launch radical change programs and wrenching restructurings will almost certainly fail to make the leap.
The Hiding Place
by John & Elizabeth Sherrill
Corrie ten Boom was a woman admired the world over for her courage, her forgiveness, and her memorable faith. In World War II, she and her family risked their lives to help Jews escape the Nazis, and their reward was a trip to Hitler's concentration camps. But she survived and was released—as a result of a clerical error—and now shares the story of how faith triumphs over evil.
For thirty-five years Corrie's dramatic life story, full of timeless virtues, has prepared readers to face their own futures with faith, relying on God's love to overcome, heal, and restore. Now releasing in a thirty-fifth anniversary edition for a new generation of readers, The Hiding Place tells the riveting story of how a middle-aged Dutch watchmaker became a heroine of the Resistance, a survivor of Hitler's death camps, and one of the most remarkable evangelists of the twentieth century.
June 1st- Special Topics in Calamity Physics
good choice gals! I think you're going to enjoy this one. But get cracking- it is a lengthy read (but delightful all the way).
Special Topics in Calamity Physics
A novel by Marisha Pessl
This mesmerizing debut, uncannily uniting the trials of a postmodern upbringing with a murder mystery, heralds the arrival of a vibrant new voice in literary fiction
Special Topics in Calamity Physics is a darkly hilarious coming-of-age novel and a richly plotted suspense tale told through the distinctive voice of its heroine, Blue van Meer. After a childhood moving from one academic outpost to another with her father (a man prone to aphorisms and meteoric affairs), Blue is clever, deadpan, and possessed of a vast lexicon of literary, political, philosophical, and scientific knowledge—and is quite the cineaste to boot. In her final year of high school at the elite (and unusual) St. Gallway School in Stockton, North Carolina, Blue falls in with a charismatic group of friends and their captivating teacher, Hannah Schneider. But when the drowning of one of Hannah's friends and the shocking death of Hannah herself lead to a confluence of mysteries, Blue is left to make sense of it all with only her gimlet-eyed instincts and cultural references to guide—or misguide—her.
Structured around a syllabus for a Great Works of Literature class and containing ironic visual aids (drawn by the author), Pessl's debut novel is complex yet compelling, erudite yet accessible. It combines the suspense of Hitchcock, the self-parody of Dave Eggers, and the storytelling gifts of Donna Tartt with a dazzling intelligence and wit entirely Pessl's own.
Special Topics in Calamity Physics
A novel by Marisha Pessl
This mesmerizing debut, uncannily uniting the trials of a postmodern upbringing with a murder mystery, heralds the arrival of a vibrant new voice in literary fiction
Special Topics in Calamity Physics is a darkly hilarious coming-of-age novel and a richly plotted suspense tale told through the distinctive voice of its heroine, Blue van Meer. After a childhood moving from one academic outpost to another with her father (a man prone to aphorisms and meteoric affairs), Blue is clever, deadpan, and possessed of a vast lexicon of literary, political, philosophical, and scientific knowledge—and is quite the cineaste to boot. In her final year of high school at the elite (and unusual) St. Gallway School in Stockton, North Carolina, Blue falls in with a charismatic group of friends and their captivating teacher, Hannah Schneider. But when the drowning of one of Hannah's friends and the shocking death of Hannah herself lead to a confluence of mysteries, Blue is left to make sense of it all with only her gimlet-eyed instincts and cultural references to guide—or misguide—her.
Structured around a syllabus for a Great Works of Literature class and containing ironic visual aids (drawn by the author), Pessl's debut novel is complex yet compelling, erudite yet accessible. It combines the suspense of Hitchcock, the self-parody of Dave Eggers, and the storytelling gifts of Donna Tartt with a dazzling intelligence and wit entirely Pessl's own.
Wednesday, April 7, 2010
Book choices for June 1st
June? We are talking about JUNE?!! Absolute madness.
Here are your choices for a breezy summer read, courtesy of yours truly!
Since we didn't get to talk about the choices at book group, I've added the 'reasons Martha wants to read it' if you are interested.
Special Topics in Calamity Physics
A novel by Marisha Pessl
Martha says:
Coming of age, mystery, witty dialogue, teen angst, social commentary, and a crazy, crazy family. What more could you want in a book? I was introduced to this novel after attempting to describe my own relationship with my insane/genius/mysterious father to a friend. The writing style is incredibly clever and fun to read, and it's a really quirky take on a mystery. If this book could talk, it would say to you "CHOOSE ME!"
And now the real synopsis, just click the picture. (here is the quirky website too)
The Wild Things
by Dave Eggers
Martha says:
I didn't even know about this until it was introduced a few book clubs ago. It was such a popular choice, I had to revive it. The reviews are amazing, and I like any work of literature that attempts to take an honest look at childhood...(Because naturally I blame any and all of my own eccentricities on mine)
The synopsis:
The Wild Things — based very loosely on the storybook by Maurice Sendak and the screenplay cowritten with Spike Jonze — is about the confusions of a boy, Max, making his way in a world he can’t control. His father is gone, his mother is spending time with a younger boyfriend, his sister is becoming a teenager and no longer has interest in him. At the same time, Max finds himself capable of startling acts of wildness: he wears a wolf suit, bites his mom, and can’t always control his outbursts. During a fight at home, Max flees and runs away into the woods. He finds a boat there, jumps in, and ends up on the open sea, destination unknown. He lands on the island of the Wild Things, and soon he becomes their king. But things get complicated when Max realizes that the Wild Things want as much from him as he wants from them. Funny, dark, and alive, The Wild Things is a timeless and time-tested tale for all ages.
I am Nujood, Age 10 and Divorced
by Nujood Ali with Delphine Minoui
Martha says:
Well if this title doesn't capture your interest, I'm not sure what will. I haven't read this yet, but it is a recommendation from a highly reputable, bookish friend.My only fear is that it will make me very upset.
Amazon synopsis:
Chosen by Glamour magazine as a Woman of the Year in 2008, Nujood of Yemen has become an international hero for her astonishingly brave resistance to child marriage. Sold off by her impoverished family at the age of 10, continually raped by her husband before she even reached puberty, Nujood found the courage to run away, and with the help of an activist lawyer, sympathetic judges, and the international press, she divorced her husband and returned home. Her clear, first-person narrative, translated from the French and written with Minoui, is spellbinding: the horror of her parents’ betrayal and her mother-in-law’s connivance, the “grown-ups” who send the child from classroom and toys to nightmare abuse. She never denies the poverty that drives her parents and oppresses her brothers, even as she reveals their cruelty. Unlike her passive mother, she is an activist, thrilled to return to school, determined to save others, including her little sister. True to the child’s viewpoint, the “grown-up” cruelty is devastating. Readers will find it incredible that such unbelievable abuse and such courageous resistance are happening now. --Hazel Rochman
Here are your choices for a breezy summer read, courtesy of yours truly!
Since we didn't get to talk about the choices at book group, I've added the 'reasons Martha wants to read it' if you are interested.
Special Topics in Calamity Physics
A novel by Marisha Pessl
Martha says:
Coming of age, mystery, witty dialogue, teen angst, social commentary, and a crazy, crazy family. What more could you want in a book? I was introduced to this novel after attempting to describe my own relationship with my insane/genius/mysterious father to a friend. The writing style is incredibly clever and fun to read, and it's a really quirky take on a mystery. If this book could talk, it would say to you "CHOOSE ME!"
And now the real synopsis, just click the picture. (here is the quirky website too)
The Wild Things
by Dave Eggers
Martha says:
I didn't even know about this until it was introduced a few book clubs ago. It was such a popular choice, I had to revive it. The reviews are amazing, and I like any work of literature that attempts to take an honest look at childhood...(Because naturally I blame any and all of my own eccentricities on mine)
The synopsis:
The Wild Things — based very loosely on the storybook by Maurice Sendak and the screenplay cowritten with Spike Jonze — is about the confusions of a boy, Max, making his way in a world he can’t control. His father is gone, his mother is spending time with a younger boyfriend, his sister is becoming a teenager and no longer has interest in him. At the same time, Max finds himself capable of startling acts of wildness: he wears a wolf suit, bites his mom, and can’t always control his outbursts. During a fight at home, Max flees and runs away into the woods. He finds a boat there, jumps in, and ends up on the open sea, destination unknown. He lands on the island of the Wild Things, and soon he becomes their king. But things get complicated when Max realizes that the Wild Things want as much from him as he wants from them. Funny, dark, and alive, The Wild Things is a timeless and time-tested tale for all ages.
I am Nujood, Age 10 and Divorced
by Nujood Ali with Delphine Minoui
Martha says:
Well if this title doesn't capture your interest, I'm not sure what will. I haven't read this yet, but it is a recommendation from a highly reputable, bookish friend.My only fear is that it will make me very upset.
Amazon synopsis:
Chosen by Glamour magazine as a Woman of the Year in 2008, Nujood of Yemen has become an international hero for her astonishingly brave resistance to child marriage. Sold off by her impoverished family at the age of 10, continually raped by her husband before she even reached puberty, Nujood found the courage to run away, and with the help of an activist lawyer, sympathetic judges, and the international press, she divorced her husband and returned home. Her clear, first-person narrative, translated from the French and written with Minoui, is spellbinding: the horror of her parents’ betrayal and her mother-in-law’s connivance, the “grown-ups” who send the child from classroom and toys to nightmare abuse. She never denies the poverty that drives her parents and oppresses her brothers, even as she reveals their cruelty. Unlike her passive mother, she is an activist, thrilled to return to school, determined to save others, including her little sister. True to the child’s viewpoint, the “grown-up” cruelty is devastating. Readers will find it incredible that such unbelievable abuse and such courageous resistance are happening now. --Hazel Rochman
Selection for May 4th
When My Name Was Keoko
By: Linda Sue Park
148 Pages
Inspired by her own family's stories of living in South Korea during the Japanese occupation in the years preceding World War II, Newbery Medal-winning author Linda Sue Park chronicles the compelling story of two siblings, 10-year-old Sun-hee and 13-year-old Tae-yul, and their battle to maintain their identity and dignity during one of Korea's most difficult and turbulent times. In alternating first-person chapters, they relate their family's troubles under the strict fascist regime. The Kim family is stripped of their cultural symbols, only permitted to learn Japanese history and language, and forced to convert their names to Japanese. Sun-hee, now Keoko, struggles to reconcile her Korean home life with her Japanese school and friends, while Tae-yul, now Nobuo, attempts to convert his growing anger into a more positive passion for flight and airplanes. This well-researched historical novel is accompanied by a thoughtful author's note that explains what happened to Korea and families like the Kims after WWII and a bibliography to entice interested young readers into learning more about a topic largely unknown to American audiences.
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