Evergreen Tidings from the Baumgartners by Gretchen Anthony

October's read was Evergreen Tidings from the Baumgartners, by Gretchen Anthony, with Endurance, by Alfred Lansing, up next for November. This month we were treated to Mrs. Anthony joining our Zoom discussion, and the entirety of the group found her to be a fantastic speaker and addition to the conversation. Thank you to Susan, for doing all the much needed behind the scenes work to make Mrs. Anthony's appearance happen! And thank you to everyone who joined in via Zoom, and continues to join in month after month, it's wonderful to still be able to hold book club meetings, despite these trying times.

 

Here we go~

Violet Baumgartner has opened her annual holiday letter the same way for the past three decades. And this year she's going to throw her husband, Ed, a truly perfect retirement party, one worthy of memorializing in her upcoming letter. But the event becomes a disaster when, in front of two hundred guests, Violet learns her daughter Cerise has been keeping a shocking secret from her, shattering Violet's carefully constructed world.

In an epic battle of wills, Violet goes to increasing lengths to wrest back control of her family, infuriating Cerise and snaring their family and friends in a very un-Midwestern, un-Baumgartner gyre of dramatics.

With varying degrees of intensity, the protagonist in this book was unanimously considered to be tough to take. A few members were completely puzzled and put off by Violets conduct and ultimately set the book aside a handful of chapters in, unable to bring themselves to finish. Most hung in there to the end of the read, still citing Violet as unpleasant, but hypothesizing that she seemed to need an exhaustive amount of control within both her life and the lives of those in her immediate circle, which drove her to be the challenging character that she was. It was mentioned that at the very end of the book, upon the discovery of some insightful clues, Violet showed some vulnerability that gave her a bit more of a real, multidimensional role, even endearing her to us in a small way. It was said that the cast of characters were relevant and believable, noting that everyone, to some degree or another, knows a Violet. And if you have a Violet, her best friend would have to be an Eldris. And she would have to be married to an Ed, and the two would most likely raise a Cerise... otherwise Violet wouldn't endure.

Mrs. Anthony took all of our conclusions, questions, and comments in stride, sharing that she's had an enormous amount of feedback about the book, Violet in particular, and understands she is a polarizing character. She added that if Violet were a real person, she'd like it that way! She recounted for us that Violet in particular had been a voice in her head for years before finally coming to the page in this novel, and although she considered  "toning her down" many times throughout writing the book, she ultimately decided against it, feeling a nudge of encouragement from her late father, and also a need to be true to who Violet had developed into in her mind... come what may. Mrs. Anthony talked at length about her personal writing process and all that it entails, which was enlightening, if not eye-opening, to learn about. I think we all agreed that being an author isn't at all an easy field of occupation, and came away from the meeting with a lot of common respect, esteem, and affection for Mrs. Anthony.

Food for thought: It was stated that characters are a major contributing factor of any book, and that if the characters aren't quite right and/or agreeable, the general overall like or dislike of the book as a whole suffers for it. One member disagreed, saying instead that one distasteful character couldn't possibly have enough sway to tank an entire books standing. What do you think? Comment down below!

 

At the end of every book club discussion we ask three questions and track the average answers:
Would we recommend this to another book club for discussion?
"NO"
Would we recommend this to a friend to read? 
"NO"
Rate the book 1-4 stars with 1 being the lowest rating: 
 2 stars

The Moment of Lift by Melinda Gates

 

September's book club selection was The Moment of Lift, by Melinda Gates. Unfortunately, the weather didn't end up cooperating, and we needed to meet via Zoom this month. Thankfully, our attendance (and discussions!) don't seem to suffer no matter the weather, or the venue. Now that we're moving into the colder weather months, I think we can confidently assume that our book club meetings will all be held via Zoom going forward~ if that changes we'll get the word out in a hurry!

Next up for October is Evergreen Tidings from the Baumgartners, by Gretchen Anthony. Mrs. Anthony will be joining our Zoom discussion on October 13th~ please join in if you can, she's an excellent speaker! There are 9 copies of this title within the Viking system, one of them being a large print edition and another being an E-book. As always, we'll do our very best to get them out to each of you as quickly and efficiently as possible, but in an effort spread the available copies further, if you ever find that you get the chance to snag this, or any future reads, elsewhere, we encourage you to do so!

Speaking of October, now that the Viking Member Libraries, along with MN Link, are back on line, we've decided to forgo distributing both the current month's book club selection and the following month's read in tandem. Instead, we'll revert back to allocating just the current book~ while encouraging those who prefer to read ahead to continue if they'd like. 

Without further delay~

For the last twenty years, Melinda Gates has been on a mission. Her goal has been to find solutions for people with the most urgent needs, wherever they live. Throughout this journey, one thing has become increasingly clear to her: If you want to lift a society up, invest in women. Convinced that all women should be free to decide whether and when to have children, Gates took her first step onto the global stage to make a stand for family planning. That step launched her into further efforts: to ensure women everywhere have access to every kind of job; to encourage men around the globe to share equally in the burdens of household work; to advocate for paid family leave for everyone; to eliminate gender bias in all its forms. 

This book tells of Gates' journey from a partner working behind the scenes to one of the world's foremost advocates for women, driven by the belief that no one should be excluded, all lives have equal value, and gender equity is the lever that lifts everything.

I think it's altogether accurate to say this book was widely enjoyed and praised by the vast majority of our attending members, with the exception of just two. Those in favor of the book liked Mrs. Gates' passionate, relentless work towards empowering, encouraging, and supporting women around the globe~ in whatever form and context that might mean. Several spoke to how they appreciated Mrs. Gates' time and attention to the issues plaguing those less fortunate, and how thoughtful they found her recourse and aid to those areas to be. Being of the Catholic faith, it was also mentioned how seamlessly she appears to balanced her faith right alongside her work with planned parenthood and contraceptives. On the other hand, it was also specifically pointed out that this was found to be a matter of dissatisfaction and reproach~ how could Mrs. Gates belong to both sets of beliefs? In addition, it was said there is an element of assistance missing from her repertoire, that her work felt somewhat more like a bandaid, rather than a solution to the root cause(s). For example, why was there very little mention, if any, of working within these impoverished communities to cultivate jobs, education, faith, and family unity where the very lack of these things was cited as being directly related to the cause of the demise of the populace? 

It made for an interesting conversation for sure~ let us know your thoughts below!    

 

At the end of every book club discussion we ask three questions and track the average answers:
Would we recommend this to another book club for discussion?
"YES"
Would we recommend this to a friend to read? 
"YES"
Rate the book 1-4 stars with 1 being the lowest rating: 
  3.5 stars

October's Book Club Selection Details & More!

We sure didn't have to wait long~ I just heard from Susan that October's book club selection will be Evergreen Tidings from the Baumgartners, by Gretchen Anthony. In addition, Mrs. Anthony has graciously agreed to join us for October's book club meeting and discussion via Zoom! She is simply superb~ you won't want to miss it! Thank you Susan for all the time and effort that went into making this happen! More details to come~

In other news, Susan has reserved the shelter at Paul Miller Park for our September meeting, and unless the weather turns between then and now, that's where we're planning to meet next month to discuss Moment of Lift, by Melinda Gates. There are several picnic tables available beneath the shelter, but it might also be a good idea to plan to bring a chair, just in case we should choose to sit outside of the shelter or if extra seating is needed.

See you all very soon~ happy reading!

This Tender Land by William Kent Krueger

 

On the docket for August was This Tender Land, by William Kent Krueger. This month we met in a shady spot under the trees at Krauss Park to discuss the book, and the turnout was fantastic~ so nice to see all of you! For next month, we may plan to again reserve the shelter at Paul Miller Park (it's nice to have a roof over our heads, just in case Minnesota has any last minute idea's about weather conditions), or we may find ourselves back at Krauss Park, or even together again via a Zoom meeting~ we'll check on availability and keep an eye on the weather, but when we know, you'll know! 

Up next for September is The Moment of Lift, by Melinda Gates with October's read to be determined. Susan is touching base with two local authors to determine who among them is available to join us for the meeting and chime in on the discussion. Once it's been decided, I'll add a posting to this blog to give everyone as much of a heads up as possible~ please check back often! Once October's book has been decided, we'll be collecting copies and getting them out to our members right alongside "Moment of Lift"~ feel free to accept or decline them as they become available. 

Back to This Tender Land~ 

1932, Minnesota—the Lincoln School is a pitiless place where hundreds of Native American children, forcibly separated from their parents, are sent to be educated. It is also home to an orphan named Odie O’Banion, a lively boy whose exploits earn him the superintendent’s wrath. Forced to flee, he and his brother Albert, their best friend Mose, and a brokenhearted little girl named Emmy steal away in a canoe, heading for the mighty Mississippi and a place to call their own.

This book was met with a good mix of reviews. There were a small few that really didn't care for the book, and another small few that really loved the book, with the majority falling somewhere in between. Those who felt strongly that this read missed the mark cited a good deal of long, run-on sentences, with a smattering of unbelievable characters and plot lines. Those smitten with the book stated they hardly noticed the run-on sentences, and reminded the group to consider the time and place the novel was set in. It was said several times, and almost unanimously agreed upon, that this wasn't received as a deep, powerful, literary piece of literature, rather, it's more of a cozy, enjoyable read meant more for leisurely entertainment. Krueger's other works were also mentioned, most notably his novel Ordinary Grace. Interestingly, the majority of the attendees had also read Ordinary Grace (his only other stand alone novel apart from the Cork O'Connor series) and while the story line is very different from This Tender Land, the reviews of both titles were largely the same~ it seems, you are either a fan of his work, or his writing just isn't your cup of tea. Of which opinion are you? Let us know below!

A parting thought: It was said in closing that last month's book, A Woman of No Importance, was a book of many, consecutive events and circumstances that could easily be considered coincidental and unbelievable at times. However, with the book being nonfiction and based largely on Ms. Hall's correspondence, and the correspondence of her peers, there were no coincidences after all. "If A Woman of No Importance was a novel, no one would think it was believable either." Truly, an excellent point worth reflecting on.

At the end of every book club discussion we ask three questions and track the average answers:
Would we recommend this to another book club for discussion?
"YES"
Would we recommend this to a friend to read? 
"YES"
Rate the book 1-4 stars with 1 being the lowest rating: 
  3 stars

A Woman of No Importance by Sonia Purnell

July's reading selection was A Woman of No Importance, by Sonia Purnell. Following a suggestion to host this month's book club meeting outdoors, Susan reserved the picnic shelter at Paul Miller Park (thank you Susan!) just outside of town, and the people came! O, what a joy it was to see so many warm, familiar faces! In fact, it went so well that we have decided to do it again for August's book club meeting on the eleventh~ we hope to see you there!

Speaking of August, the book pick for that month is This Tender Land by William Kent Krueger, with Moment of Lift by Melinda Gates to follow in September. As previously mentioned, we will continue to try to get both the current book club selection and the following month's read out to our members in tandem in an effort to cover as many bases as possible. Please continue to feel free to accept or decline as the books become available according to your preferences.

Without further delay~  

In 1942, the Gestapo sent out an urgent transmission: "She is the most dangerous of all Allied spies. We must find and destroy her." This spy was Virginia Hall, a young American woman--rejected from the foreign service because of her gender and her prosthetic leg--who talked her way into the spy organization deemed Churchill's "ministry of ungentlemanly warfare," and, before the United States had even entered the war, became the first woman to deploy to occupied France. At a time when sending female secret agents into enemy territory was still strictly forbidden, Virginia Hall came to be known as the "Madonna of the Resistance," coordinating a network of spies to blow up bridges, report on German troop movements, arrange equipment drops for Resistance agents, and recruit and train guerilla fighters. Even as her face covered WANTED posters throughout Europe, she refused order after order to evacuate. Virginia Hall was one of the greatest spies in American history, yet her story remains untold... until now.

Here again, we found our group of book club members almost exactly divided straight down the middle regarding this read. About half of us thoroughly enjoyed this book and thought quite highly of it. On the other hand, the other half of us weren't nearly as taken with it. The good new is, everyone present agreed that Virginia Hall was an amazing individual. Adjectives like "selfless", "courageous", "determined", "driven", "humble", and "incredible" were all offered on her behalf while the group sat in collective awe of her, and her contributions to the war effort. The trouble for some, was that it was an intense read, on many levels. Some mentioned the disturbing violence depicted as hard to stomach. Others said the regular citing of names and specific dates, times, and places was confusing and hard to keep straight, giving the read a more journalistic, and less personal, feel. Others still commented on it being hard to get into and stay interested in. Interestingly, it was asked by show of hands who in attendance knew of, or had heard of, Virginia Hall before we read this book~ it was unanimous~ not one! It was then briefly discussed how many other historical figures and/or events had been left out of our early education. The Sioux uprising (Abercrombie Trail) comes to mind, along with the establishment of the FBI (Killers of the Flower Moon), and the pioneers of aviation (The Wright Brothers) to name a few. If you're like us, and find yourselves curious about these titles~ they are all available within the Viking system~ thank goodness for libraries!


At the end of every book club discussion we ask three questions and track the average answers:
Would we recommend this to another book club for discussion?
"YES"
Would we recommend this to a friend to read? 
"YES"
Rate the book 1-4 stars with 1 being the lowest rating: 
  3.5 stars

Little Bee by Chris Cleave

June's book club choice was Little Bee by Chris Cleave. We met again this month via Zoom (thank goodness for the options technology offers when pandemics strike~ and even more glad tidings for a large portion of our members being able to use these advances to keep our little book club going, even from afar!) It looks like next month will most likely be hosted much the same, but we'll keep you all in the loop as that time and date draw nearer.

Next up for July is Woman of No Importance by Sonia Purnell, with August's selection being This Tender Land by William Kent Krueger. Due to heavy closings and slow re-openings, we continue to find it more challenging to get our customary supply of copies into the library and available to you in as timely a fashion as we'd like. That being said, going forward, Susan will be gathering copies with both the current and following month's reads in mind, in an effort to cover a few more bases. As a result, you many find you're being contacted more frequently than usual regarding book club selections~ please don't feel obligated to read ahead if you'd rather take the reading schedule as it comes, just know it may take awhile longer to get these books distributed.

Back to Little Bee~

The lives of a sixteen-year-old Nigerian orphan and a well-off British woman collide one fateful day, and one of them has to make a terrible choice. Two years later, they meet again... this story, and their friendship, starts there.

It was said in closing during our book club discussion that no other book as of late has divided us more in terms of how it was received, and subsequently scored, among our members. Normally, one would think that meant there were two distinct opinions, one that truly loved and appreciated the book, and the other that didn't care much for the read. In this case, however, the division mentioned referred more to how the plot, and especially the cast of characters, were perceived. It was widely agreed that Little Bee's character was very well developed and her story lines were preferred throughout. In the same way, with the exception of a few, Sarah's character and story lines felt disjointed, disorderly, and a bit unbelievable at times. No one particularly cared for Lawrence, and while Andrew's plight was understandable, we found his outcome excessive and improbable.

All that aside, we generally found that we liked Mr. Cleave's writing style. More specifically, he has an excellent way of crafting a sentence/scene/thought. While the overall score was low, and the majority voted they wouldn't recommend this book to a friend, we also recognized that despite all that, we still had a refreshing, thought-provoking conversation spanning the full hour's allotted time. You just never really know how book club will shake out!

A parting thought (and an incredibly insightful comment from the discussion) to weigh: Up until and outside of Little Bee's haphazard "escape" from the detention center early on in the book, what else of the plot could be considered believable?


At the end of every book club discussion we ask three questions and track the average answers:
Would we recommend this to another book club for discussion?
"NO"
Would we recommend this to a friend to read? 
"YES"
Rate the book 1-4 stars with 1 being the lowest rating: 
  2.5 stars

2020-2021 Book Club Reading Schedule