Hi Everyone,
Okay, a four month absence from writing about the books
we read went virtually unnoticed; however, for my own managerial
compulsiveness, I do need to play catch-up on our book club minutes. In order to stay updated on past, present,
and upcoming Butler Women of Wisdom topics, please continue to peruse this
document.
The last time I had forwarded an email of any length was
in June of 2015. Since then our book club has roamed from house to house in
search of sequestered nooks for meeting locations. First to host our “book club’s home tour
season” in May was Ginnie, me in June, Cheryl in July, Lori in August, Becky in
September, Mandy in October, and now Barb K. will host our last in-home meeting
on November 19. Each hostess provided a lovely atmosphere and luscious goodies
that added sugar and spice and everything nice to our lively discussions. These
private gatherings are always so much more intimate and less hurried, so I hope
you can join us at 6:00 PM on Thursday of this week at Barb K.’s, 205 Homewood
Drive, Butler, as we discuss the book Beautiful
Ruins by Jess Walter in the comfort of Barb’s lovely home.
Moving forward with upcoming events to post on your
calendars, our book club has had in past years a tradition of attending the
Butler Symphony Holiday Tour of Homes. This year the symphony’s 26th
home tour is scheduled for Saturday, December 5. There are eight locations in the itinerary
including the Hill United Presbyterian Church where the cookie reception will
be hosted. Also, one of the featured attractions is Butler’s Maridon Museum; if
you haven’t taken the time to see this local treasure, this may be the perfect
occasion. In addition, six beautiful
homes will be open for us to ooh and awe over their charming Christmas décor,
architectural design, and historical significance. For those who plan to
attend, we will meet for breakfast at Reichhold’s Café, 772 Pittsburgh Road,
Butler, at 7:30 AM. Afterward, we will proceed to the home of John and Connie
Stobert in Renfrew. The holiday home
tour has always been a favorite activity for the members of our book club, and
I know that Lori and I will be attending. Please, let us know either at this
week’s meeting or through an email or a text message if you plan to make it,
too.
Also, as in past Decembers’ (disregarding last year), no
book will be assigned for reading as we elect to simply celebrate the season at
our Annual Book Club Christmas Party which will be on Saturday, December 12, at
6 PM! The Red Rock Falls Restaurant in Slippery Rock is reserved for our 2015
Christmas party destination. This venue is BYOB, so remember to bring your
favorite beer or wine. Glasses will be provided, and it is agreed that we may order
off the menu. Like the home tour, please let us know either at the November 19
meeting or through an email or text message if you and your spouse or friend
plan to attend.
Finally, as for our yearly Women of Wisdom charity, we had discussed a donation to the Life
Steps Children’s Center in Butler at our October meeting. My husband, however,
who is the purchasing manager for Life Steps expressed that we should allocate
our charity to another source. Therefore, at our Thursday meeting, we need to
come to the table with ideas for alternative beneficiaries. Please give this
matter some serious consideration.
Since my June email, we have discussed at our last four
meetings four notable books by four distinguished authors. I don’t often talk
at length about the authors of the books we read, but their lives have a direct
impact on the books they write. First, Bloodroot by Amy Greene, our July
selection, takes place in the foothills of the Smokey Mountains. The setting
was chosen by Greene because this region is where she has lived all her life
and still resides with her husband and two children. She chooses to write about
the folklore and people of Appalachia in her novels and the places she has
explored as a young child. C.W. Gortner, the author of Mademoiselle
Chanel: The Novel, was born in Spain where he spent most of his
childhood. Although later he moved to the United States and studied writing, he
concentrated his studies in Renaissance literature and now chooses to write
historical fiction adding life experience to his writing as he travels the
world seeking the most accurate details for his plots. In Mademoiselle
Chanel: The Novel, Gortner takes the reader to many European
cities during specific eras in history. Beatriz Williams, the New York Times
bestselling author of The Secret Life of Violet Grant,
our September title, first worked in the corporate world before settling into
writing. After graduating from Stanford with an MBA from Columbia and entering
the workforce as a communications consultant, she lived for several years in
both New York and London. In her novel The Secret Life of Violet Grant,
Williams uses both cities to support the conflict of her story.
Anna Quindlen, the author of our October selection, was
expected to beguile us with her writing in her novel Still
Life with Bread Crumbs. She has the longest writing career of
the four authors and a Pulitzer Prize to her credit. Quindlen had a bi-weekly
column in Newsweek for ten years, has written five best selling books, and two
of which were made into movies. Despite all of these accolades, her novel Still
Life with Bread Crumbs, however, was the only one out of the
four that our book intensely criticized. Quindlen’s novel lacked what the other
three had - a specific time and place in history and characters who are
distinctively carved from their unique environments. Readers like the Butler
Women of Wisdom club members are book savvy. We want more than just a rehashing
of life’s predictable moments. We want to learn more from our book experiences,
we want to come away with a discovery about what it’s like to be born somewhere
different or raised in a diverse culture. We want to learn how to overcome an
unusual adversity or fulfill an impossible dream. We want to laugh at ironic
witticism and marvel at the imagery in a descriptive phrase. To meet our book
club’s standards, Quindlen just didn’t hit the mark.
Attached to this email is the updated list of our book
club’s titles for your reference. Remember, I always have the books and emails
posted on our blog at www.butlerwomenofwisdom.blogspot.com.
I look forward to seeing everyone this Thursday when we close the year’s litany
of books and prepare for a new line up for 2016. Remember, we are meeting
Thursday, November 19, at Barb K.’s home at 6 PM!
Your friend in reading,
Tammy
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