December 2016 Book Club Christmas Party at the Apple Butter Restaurant in Slippery Rock

Happy New Year!

2016 has blown by like a storm in the night. During this turbulent year, we have all experienced both joys and losses, and for brief interludes in between, we’ve found solace in the books we read. So much happens beyond the pages and in between our meetings, we have no doubt that each of our personal stories are worthy of a novel. For Ginnie, Lori, and I, and our family, we experienced the loss of our dear mother in May. We are so thankful to have friends like all of you who so kindly donated this year’s Women of Wisdom charity to the Butler Area Public Library in our mother’s name. For this and many other reasons, a joy we value is certainly the time we share together with you, the Women of Wisdom, at our monthly book club meetings.   

Recently, we celebrated the end of our organization’s thirteenth year with another memorable annual Christmas party. On December 17, six couples - Becky and Jim, Cheryl and Greg, Ginnie and Lee, Lori and Doug, Sharon and Steve, and Tim and I - met at Anna Marie’s, a new winery in East Butler. We started the evening with wine tasting and throughout our dinner enjoyed entertaining conversation. Greg Ramsey, for one, never ceases to spice up an evening, mulled cider aside! I’m certain from hearing our fun and laughter, the company Christmas gathering seated next to us was secretly wishing they could bail-out of their obligatory commitment and join us! Pretty much anyone wearing plaid would have male bonded with Greg, Doug, Jim, and Lee.

Our favorite book club reads of 2016 vary with each of us. One of my personal top three favorites, All the Stars in the Heavens by Adriana Trigiani, started the year. A historical fiction novel, it read like a gossip column depicting the life of the great film star Loretta Young and her fiery love affair with the equally famous film star Clark Gable. Also, making my top three is The Nightingale by Kristen Hannah. This book was another historical fiction selection but set in France during WWII. I am always stunned to learn even more about the atrocities of that horrific war and the facts Hannah included in the story did not fail to shock me – especially what a woman was forced to do to protect and keep her children from starving. Lastly, it is said that we are most likely to remember the first and last of anything, and the final book on my top three chart is our November pick, our club’s last book selection for 2017, The Readers of Broken of Broken Wheel Recommend. This novel was a welcomed humorous break from the doldrums of daily life. In the book, the citizens of a little town called Broken Wheel are like the citizens of any depressed small town USA – Karns City, Petrolia, Bruin, Fenelton, etc.  The fact that the people of Broken Wheel embraced the main character Sarah, a visitor from Sweden on a holiday, like their own flesh and blood was a bit fantastical. However, the quirky characters seemed real enough that it opened the plot for many unusual possibilities.  So once again, in order, here are my top three book picks of 2016: All the Stars in the Heavens, The Nightingale, and The People of Broken Wheel Recommend.

One of my favorite pastimes at the end of the year is to review our books’ best quotes. Although some books have more insightful messages than others, the list of great lines can be extensive, so I will limit the list to my top ten choices:

1.      “Oh, dammit. Nobody would ever wise up if they hadn’t at some stage been young and stupid.”

p 129, The Little Paris Bookshop

2.     “We are immortal in the dreams of our loved ones. And our dead live on after their deaths in our dreams. Dreams are the interface between the worlds, between time and space.”

p 147, The Little Paris Bookshop

3.     “You know, Sister, we think we have the luxury of time. We figure that there will always be a moment to have the conversation that we meant to have, and then the moment passes and it’s too late… the most important thing I learned was to say what you mean when you have the moment to say it. Don’t wait, because the time may not come again.” p 445, All the Stars in the Heavens (Lori’s favorite).

4.     “It’s funny, Alda, nobody ever told me motherhood was temporary. You think you have years and years with them, but the truth is, you don’t. Had I known that, I might have handled things differently.” p 435, All the Stars in the Heavens

5.     “As mothers and daughters, it is good to see each other through another person’s point of view.” p 234, The Rejected Writer’s Book Club

6.     “When I look at my eighty-five-year-old face in the mirror today, I think, ‘You’re never going to look better than you do today, honey, so smile.’ Whoever said a smile is the best face-lift was one smart woman.” p 86, The Boston Girl

7.     “If you change the way you look at things, the things you look at change.” – Wayne Dwyer, p 164, Esther the Wonder Pig

8.     “The people who are crazy enough to think they can change the world, are the ones who do.” – Steve Jobs, p 145, Esther the Wonder Pig

9.      “I’ve had my sorrows, of course, but nothing more than I could cope with. Sometimes I think that it’s not the degree of sorrow that matters, but how much of a hold it can get… Anyway, I think that life and sorrow go together like farmers and rain; without a little, nothing will grow.” p 72, The People of Broken Wheel Recommend

10.  “How often we stuck to the safe path in life, pulling on blinders and keeping our eyes to the ground, doing our best not to look at the fantastic view. Without seeing the heights we had reached, the opportunities actually awaiting us out there; without realizing we should just jump and fly, at least for a moment.” P 316, The People of Broken Wheel Recommend

As you see, some books did not make the quote cut. It was very hard to pick from the plethora of pertinent passages I had marked within the pages of my books, and my list does not express all the great quotes you have shared at our meetings. These timeless words provoked many thoughtful discussions each month leaving us all much wiser for their lessons on life.

This year, we started a new method of selecting our books. The task of choosing the month’s title goes to only one member who is appointed alphabetically. This gives everyone an opportunity to choose a book that they find interesting. As we are now up to the letter “L”, Lori Lynn Lawson picked the book for January 2017. We are reading A Redbird Christmas by Fannie Flagg (also recommended by the people of Broken Wheel!).

As usual, our club will meet at Natilie’s Pizzeria on Wednesday, January 25, at 6 PM to discuss Flagg’s holiday tale. For homework, prepare to discuss the book’s themes of healing and community. Also, let’s all wear Christmas attire one last time to the meeting on the 25^th, call it a post-holiday tribute! In the meantime, I hope you find the time to curl up with this heartwarming selection during the remaining holiday season or find it a comforting escape from the snowy and cold days of winter that are certain to follow.

Yours faithful friend in books,

Tammy

P.S.  Attached to this email is a recently updated copy of our book club’s book list.

January 2016 Book Club "All the Stars in the Heavens" by Adriana Trigiani

Hi Everyone,

What a wonderful winter turnout we had for our Butler Women of Wisdom’s January book club at Natilie’s Pizzeria. It’s always enjoyable to see everyone. In attendance were Barb K., Cheryl, Ginnie, Lori, Mandy, Sharon, and me. We were especially happy to see Mary Beth back in the fold! Her pet business is flourishing placing her in the time-consuming world of business owner and entrepreneur; but once a book club member, always a book club member; Mary Beth came back to us!

Well, it was unanimous. We were all hooked once we began reading Adrianna Trigiani’s book All the Stars in the Heavens. The intriguing story Trigiani created around Loretta Young’s movie star life and her relationships with the biggest names in Hollywood kept us turning the pages. More, more! We wanted all the juicy details that Trigiani could dig up. Starting with Loretta’s innocent romance with Spencer Tracy, we succumbed to the plot based on one luscious encounter after another.

Clark Gable and Loretta’s secret tryst on the remote set of Call of the Wild was Trigiani’s nail biter. The revelation had me screaming, “Don’t Loretta, don’t do it, don’t give in to Clark’s bullshit!” She did, stupidly, and the story of their secret love child is scandalous. How a woman would pretend to not have a child when every fiber of her being is screaming out, “I’m a mother,” left me grasping to remain loyal to our protagonist. I detested Loretta for her choice, money over baby. Oh, yes, many will say she had no choice. She either maintained her Hollywood image of purity and dignity for the film studio and public or risk losing her career.  Women during the 1930’s were stoned by the world for lesser indiscretions than having a romp with another woman’s husband.

Still, Loretta was a professed Catholic. As a cradle Catholic who was raised to experience guilt for even the smallest of sins, I can’t believe Loretta’s actions. And then to never tell her daughter Judy the truth about her birth until her daughter was a grown woman. Even then, Loretta only divulged the facts because Judy had become suspicious and directly confronted her mother.  This was deplorable to me. I believe Loretta would have kept the secret until she died, just for the sake of her precious puritanical Hollywood image. When Judy pried her mother for answers, Loretta admitted all stating, and I’m quoting from Judy’s autobiography, that Judy was “a walking mortal sin.”

Trigiani was never biased in her writing. She never wagged a finger at Loretta or at Clark. She left us to determine our own opinions of the couple and their fateful decisions. Based on Loretta’s actions, it is my opinion that she was a selfish woman who believed appearances are what counted. She lived her Hollywood persona until the day she died. Will we ever know the real Loretta Young, not simply the illusion?

Our book club member Becky grew up with the Loretta Young show. She recollects with nostalgia the beautiful actress’ hallmark entrance. Each week Loretta would open the doors to the set of her show dressed in a couture fashion of the season and twirl regally onto the stage. Fans of the program, Becky and her sister loved this dramatic introduction. Playacting, they would mimic Loretta by walking through a door in their home modeling their own outfits and twirling. Becky also enjoyed the show’s dramas, especially the endings when Loretta would return onto the stage to conclude the program with a moralistic message, a reading from the Bible or a noted quote of wisdom. As a child, Becky was inspired by the illusion of Loretta Young.

All the Stars in the Heavens had many great lines, a stamp of excellence in all our favorite books. Here are a few from our list:

“The distance between the haves and the have-nots is a train ride.” p 40

“My mother always says that’s the key to being happy. Don’t live to work, work to live.” – Nivens, p 72

“There’s nothing worse than a love affair that never bloomed. You have to think like the gardener who snips the heads off the buds that never blossom. It brings down the beauty of the garden. We are meant to bloom.” – Niven, p 96

“Life isn’t a class where you can get a perfect score. It seems to me you have to keep trying.” – Gable, p 135

“Perhaps the girls were more at ease appealing to the Blessed Mother, as their fathers on earth didn’t do much to look after them.” p 201

“That’s why there are so many babies in the world. It’s called winter.” – Loretta’s mother, p 260 (Both of my babies were conceived in January!)

“It’s funny, Alda, nobody ever told me motherhood was temporary. You think you have years and years with them, but the truth is, you don’t.” – Loretta, p 435 (This is my favorite line in the book; it hits so close to my heart.)

“We figure that there will always be a moment to have the conversation that we meant to have, and then the moment passes and it’s too late. . . the most important thing I learned was to say what you mean when you have the moment to say it. . . Don’t wait, because the time may not come again.” – Alda, p 445 (This is Lori’s pick and notably a great line.)

We need to thank again Adriana Trigiana for giving everyone in our book club a free and autographed copy of All the Stars in the Heavens! It was an honor to receive it and a pleasure to read it.

Our next book selection is The Nightingale by Kristen Hannah. Ginnie has already started it and says it’s another page turner. 

Before I close, I must include a mention of the nice letter our book club received from Mary Kay Kelly, Supervisor of Behavioral Health Programs, at Butler Health System. She thanked us for our generosity for our Christmas gift of books to the Children’s Partial Hospitalization Program. A special thanks needs to go to Cheryl for her service as our book club secretary and organizer of our yearly donation. Mary Kay commented on the great selection of books Cheryl chose as our charity, and because of our gift, BHS has started generating ideas for building a small library for the children they service. It is the butterfly effect, ladies! We started a chain reaction which will promote reading! Yes, finally! I have been a Reading Specialist for 12 years and a teacher of reading for 19 years and, finally, it may be happening, a seed may be planted!

I am so grateful for Butler Women of Wisdom and the supportive community of women we have grown to become; our stories are just as great as those written in the books we read. So I look forward to seeing all of you at 6 PM on Monday, February 29, at Natilie’s Pizzeria for another meaningful and animated book discussion.

Your friend in reading,

Tammy

November 2015 Book Club "Beautiful Ruins" by Jess Walter

Reminder of Pasquale's Coastal Village; pic taken on our trip to Italy, 2011

Hi Everyone,

It was nice to see so many of you at the November meeting at Barb K.’s!  In attendance were Barb, of course, and Cheryl, Ginnie, Lori, Becky, Sharon, Mandy, and myself.  Eight in all! Barb’s home was a lovely venue for a relaxing meeting as we had expected. She served us a scrumptious pepperoni casserole, salad, and a yummy cake for dessert, mmmm good!  It is always enjoyable to share beautifully prepared food with good friends. 

The November meeting was extra special for another reason. As Cheryl lugged a huge box into Barb’s home, we all wondered what in God’s good name she had inside it. Mysteriously touting it as a “surprise,” we waited patiently for her to reveal its contents. Finally, at the end of our meeting, she opened the box and inside it were multiple hard-cover copies of Adriana Trigiani’s brand-new book All the Stars in the Heavens! Cheryl presented each of us with a personally signed edition from the author herself! Uh, ha, yes, the Butler Women of Wisdom, us! We are so excited to begin reading Trigiani’s next story for our January meeting. After reading Lucia, Lucia, Big Stone Gap, and The Shoemaker’s Wife, all three of which we loved; it will be fun to see how Trigiani spins another captivating tale with the Italian characters she has become so famously known for including in all of her books. (Many of us in our book club have a fondness for all things Italian!) So after leaving the Italian port of Cinque Terre in our November book Beautiful Ruins, we continue our Italian journey in All the Stars in the Heavens! 

Recalling Beautiful Ruins is like a maize.  The author Jess Walter had us hopping from character to character and from past to present within the lives of those characters.  The book was definitely a challenge for the mind as it required staying active not only with various personalities and time settings but also with multiple geographic locations.  I can’t begin to remember all of the places we traveled with Walter’s characters, but Italy and Hollywood were the hubs for most of the action. 

In Italy, Walter places us in Rome where Hollywood is filming the great epic Cleopatra, starring Richard Burton and Elizabeth Taylor. It makes for juicy reading when we are brought into Liz and Dick’s passionate affair, but most importantly, Dick’s philandering with another scrumptious beauty on the set, a young starlet named Dee Moray. Of course, Walters writes a dark Italian hero, Pasquale Tursi, into her story to save Dee’s honor as she meets with unfortunate circumstances resulting from her tryst with Dick. 

Protected in a peaceful Italian seaside village, we also learn of Pasquale’s own dark secret that weaves another tale of heartache along with Dick and Dee’s. And yet, within Pasquale’s story, we meet another character named Alvis Bender, an inebriated aspiring writer/car salesman, whose life fatefully intertwines twice with Dee Moray’s, first in Italy and later in the U.S.  

Click forward in time about 40 years to England and Pat, a dead head rock musician. As Pat recalls his spoiled rotten and disturbing youth, we have no sympathy for his recent bad breaks in the world of music. He is a user in more ways than one. It seems a sad roll of fate when we learn how Pat and Dee share a history. 

Still, on the other side of the globe, Walters continues introducing us to more characters, this time in Hollywood where Claire Silver, a young ambitious assistant to a film producer, and her boss the great producer himself, Michael Deane, soon share in Dick and Dee’s story.  But before we even begin to understand that connection, we must suffer the details of both Claire’s and Michael’s lives first. And just when we thought Walters had reached a cap on characters, she introduces Shane, a novice scriptwriter, whose story, let me be candid, has very little to do with anything.  Walters tries too hard to create characters, but forgets that characters need developed. However, just when we cannot begin to understand where Walters is leading us with her line-up of weak personalities, the pieces fall together and a plot emerges. 

All in all, Butler Women of Wisdom liked the book Beautiful Ruins. It was fun to have a sneak peek into the hidden world of Hollywood stars. We all remembered the scandal caused by the Liz and Dick affair! The two occupied newspaper and magazine headlines for years, and theirs was just one sordid story, out of thousands that will never be disclosed. That’s why our next book All the Stars in the Heavens is a delicious read. Trigiani creates a more realistic and beautifully written story that uncovers some of old Hollywood’s buried secrets.  Through the character of the famous Hollywood film star Loretta Young, we meet Hollywood’s most endearing stars of all times. I can’t wait to discuss this book with all of you, it is sure to be another Trigiani bestseller! I loved it!

Please join us at Natilie’s Pizzeria on Thursday, January 28, at 6 PM, for our next engaging meeting.  Let’s make it Hollywood night! I so enjoyed researching more on the film stars mentioned in Trigiani’s book, so why not do some homework? If each of us gathers some trivia on a favorite old film star from the 1930 era, we can all try and guess who it is! Bring a picture of them, too (phone pics allowed). Looking forward to seeing you all on Thursday!

Yours in reading,

Tammy