Happy New Year Everyone,
Already several weeks have passed since our festive bookless Christmas dinner. In all, we had a showing of 17 people. The members in attendance were Becky, Cheryl, Christine, Ginnie, Jody, Lori, Sharon, and me. Junior members Makenzie and Kristen also joined us along with spouses.
We began our evening at the Ferguson home where we indulged in an abundant display of holiday appetizers while strolling from room to room admiring their charming Victorian home. Neither Thomas Kinkade nor Currier and Ives could have painted such a classic Christmas display. One could take pleasure in one hollied nook, and, yet, eye another just as delightful. Needless to say, when it came time to depart for dinner, we had to pull ourselves away from the charming warmth of the Ferguson home.
St. Jude Country Club did not disappoint us. The rustic lodge décor of the restaurant featured leather couches and hard wood floors. Fresh pine bows were laden on chandeliers and window sills where white frosted globes illuminated warmth around the room, furnishing a cozy cabin feel. The dinner menu was especially prepared for our group which made us feel extremely welcome and official! Tim Smith was impressed!
Consequently, as Christmas is now only a treasured memory, it is that time, once again, to carefully reflect on the year gone by and to earnestly commit to resolutions that will change us into better human beings in one way or another. Whether our resolutions are for the body, mind or soul, if we refer to our year in reading, we can find a storehouse of worthy words of wisdom to support the challenges we may set before us. Below is a list of notable quotes from the 10 books we have read this year. I also listed 10 words and phrases drawing many from our Italian titles, we may want to acquire in our own vocabulary!
Quotes
The Last Lecture (See a lengthy list of quotes from this book on our blog)
· “TV is mankind’s greatest time waster.”
· “Time is all you have, and you may find one day that you have less than you think.”
· “When we’re connected to others, we become better people.”
· “Go out and do for others what somebody did for you.”
The Elegant Gathering of White Snows
· “Don’t waste time on anger and sorrow that could have been placed on somewhere, something else.”
· “Everything tastes much more wonderful when you’re outside.”The Guernsey Literary and Potato Peel Pie Society· “Men should listen to their own souls and not the hearsay of others.”
· “Reading the same book (aka John Booker) gives us the opportunity to argue.”
Lucia, Lucia· “It’s best to keep a distance from neighbors; cordial greetings by the mailbox are acceptable.”
· “You must understand the flaws in order to appreciate the strengths.”
· “I must find a way to be here, to take comfort in doing my duty.”
The Story of Edgar Sawtelle
· “Training is almost never about words.”
· “You can’t train anyone to do something if you don’t know what you want them to do.”
The Elegance of the Hedgehog
· “If you dread tomorrow, it is because you don’t know how to build the present.”
· “Build something now, at any price, using all your strength. Always remember that there is a retirement home waiting…”The Shack· “I (God) am always with you, learn to hear my thoughts in yours.”
· “Sin is its own punishment, devouring you from the inside.”
· “When you start to sink, let Me (God) rescue you.”
· “Don’t look for rules or principles; look for relationship, a way of coming to be with Me (God).
· “Forgiveness is first for you, the forgiver, to forgive you from something that will eat you alive.”
· “Don’t ever discount the wonder of your tears. Sometimes they are the best words the heart can speak.”
· “Because you are important, everything you do is important. Every time you forgive, the universe changes…”A Thousand Days in Tuscany· “A body can’t thrive eating the same things day in and day out.”
· “Fast for one dark month each year.”
· “Always rest for at least an hour after lunch and supper.”
· “You’re not the only one among us who has a hard time believing anyone really, truly loves you.”
· “All the energy we spend trying to fix it, secure it, save it, protect it, leaves damn little time for living it.”
· The Tuscans "say they don’t understand this avid bent to accumulate things you can’t eat or drink or wear to keep you warm.”
· “The world is round, so when you feel yourself falling, tuck and roll and get up again.”
· If you say “it’s too cold to stay outside,… you’ll miss out on the most beautiful evenings of the year.”Twilight· “People are crabbier when they are hungry.”The Little Country· “It doesn’t matter how poor you are, you can still be kind.”
· “We humans have so much untapped potential that it literally boggles the mind.”
· “It is through legend and myth… the young spirit’s connection with the old spirit that lessons are learned without deliberately being taught.”
2009 Vocabulary (be ready for a quiz!)
1. wabi – Japanese word meaning “an understated beauty”
2. kairos – Greek word meaning “the right moment”
3. fractal – repeated geometric pattern
4. misogynistic/ misogyny – hatred of women
5. theurgist/ theurgy – a person who practices magic with alleged help of the supernatural or the spirit world
6. lupo solitario – Lupo is Italian for wolf and solitario is Italian for lone, “lone wolf”
7. contadini – Italian word meaning farmer (think of Contadina tomato paste)
8. tappezziara – Italian word for upholsterer (think of tapestry)
9. dolce e salata – Dolce is Italian for sweet and salata is Italian for salty, “sweet and salty”
10. carne vale – Italian for “meat is valid”
I hope to see you at our next book club. We will return to Panera Bread for our January meeting on Thursday, the 21st, at 6:30 P.M. to discuss the book Big Stone Gap by Adriana Trigiani (author of Lucia, Lucia).
Yours in reading,
Tammy
· “You must understand the flaws in order to appreciate the strengths.”
· “I must find a way to be here, to take comfort in doing my duty.”
The Story of Edgar Sawtelle
· “Training is almost never about words.”
· “You can’t train anyone to do something if you don’t know what you want them to do.”
The Elegance of the Hedgehog
· “If you dread tomorrow, it is because you don’t know how to build the present.”
· “Build something now, at any price, using all your strength. Always remember that there is a retirement home waiting…”The Shack· “I (God) am always with you, learn to hear my thoughts in yours.”
· “Sin is its own punishment, devouring you from the inside.”
· “When you start to sink, let Me (God) rescue you.”
· “Don’t look for rules or principles; look for relationship, a way of coming to be with Me (God).
· “Forgiveness is first for you, the forgiver, to forgive you from something that will eat you alive.”
· “Don’t ever discount the wonder of your tears. Sometimes they are the best words the heart can speak.”
· “Because you are important, everything you do is important. Every time you forgive, the universe changes…”A Thousand Days in Tuscany· “A body can’t thrive eating the same things day in and day out.”
· “Fast for one dark month each year.”
· “Always rest for at least an hour after lunch and supper.”
· “You’re not the only one among us who has a hard time believing anyone really, truly loves you.”
· “All the energy we spend trying to fix it, secure it, save it, protect it, leaves damn little time for living it.”
· The Tuscans "say they don’t understand this avid bent to accumulate things you can’t eat or drink or wear to keep you warm.”
· “The world is round, so when you feel yourself falling, tuck and roll and get up again.”
· If you say “it’s too cold to stay outside,… you’ll miss out on the most beautiful evenings of the year.”Twilight· “People are crabbier when they are hungry.”The Little Country· “It doesn’t matter how poor you are, you can still be kind.”
· “We humans have so much untapped potential that it literally boggles the mind.”
· “It is through legend and myth… the young spirit’s connection with the old spirit that lessons are learned without deliberately being taught.”
2009 Vocabulary (be ready for a quiz!)
1. wabi – Japanese word meaning “an understated beauty”
2. kairos – Greek word meaning “the right moment”
3. fractal – repeated geometric pattern
4. misogynistic/ misogyny – hatred of women
5. theurgist/ theurgy – a person who practices magic with alleged help of the supernatural or the spirit world
6. lupo solitario – Lupo is Italian for wolf and solitario is Italian for lone, “lone wolf”
7. contadini – Italian word meaning farmer (think of Contadina tomato paste)
8. tappezziara – Italian word for upholsterer (think of tapestry)
9. dolce e salata – Dolce is Italian for sweet and salata is Italian for salty, “sweet and salty”
10. carne vale – Italian for “meat is valid”
I hope to see you at our next book club. We will return to Panera Bread for our January meeting on Thursday, the 21st, at 6:30 P.M. to discuss the book Big Stone Gap by Adriana Trigiani (author of Lucia, Lucia).
Yours in reading,
Tammy
