Conversations with RGB by Jeffrey Rosen

 

 

 

January's read was Conversations with RGB by Jeffrey Rosen, with Giver of Stars by Jojo Moyes coming in for February's pick. Susan mentioned during this meeting that the tentative plan going forward for book club meetings is to continue on with Zoom for a few more months, and then when the weather turns warmer we may be able to schedule some of them outdoors again. What a welcomed change that will be~ for so many reasons! Stay tuned!

 

 

 

To the book!

In Conversations with RBG, Justice Ginsburg discusses the future of Roe v. Wade, her favorite dissents, the cases she would most like to see overruled, the #MeToo movement, how to be a good listener, how to lead a productive and compassionate life, and of course the future of the Supreme Court itself. These frank exchanges illuminate the steely determination, self-mastery, and wit that have inspired Americans of all ages to embrace the woman known to all as "Notorious RBG."

 

This book was a middle-of-the-road kind of read. While most of our attending members liked the book, few loved it. And of those that liked it, they could still agree that the book had some less than desirable elements. Fewer still really didn't care for it at all, though they could still find the good bits found here and there. 

 

We all agree that RGB is a remarkable lady. Her accomplishments and largely her calm, common sense, and confident demeanor are highly noteworthy, and admired. Several members commented on how interesting it was to learn about the inner-workings of the court, and how nice, if not a little surprising, it was to find that the justices seem to have a healthy camaraderie and respect for one another. 

The group largely felt that outside of the specific cases RGB and Mr. Rosen discussed in detail, we felt predominantly out of place within all the talk of case files and legal jargon. We quickly and consistently got lost and confused, at times due to the books repetitive tendency, and would have liked to have seen a short few sentences of case explanation(s)/recap(s) while they were being discussed. The addition of supplemental pictures was also mentioned as being helpful in illustrating RGB's life, as so many times she comments on a small few pivotal people in her circle that had deeply influenced her.

FUN FACT: There was a movie made in 2018 entitled, On the Basis of Sex, that tells the story of RGB~ and there are 6 copies available within the Viking System. Also, if you're a Hulu subscriber, there is a RGB documentary available for streaming entitled simply, RGB. 

Let us know below which side of the road you find yourself regarding this book~ but also your thoughts on either of these films if you've had the chance to see them. See you next month!

 

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: 
 3 stars

 

Little Fires Everywhere by Celeste Ng

 

December's (wait... is it really December already?!) book club selection was Little Fires Everywhere by Celeste Ng, with Conversations with RBG by Jeffrey Rosen on deck for January. We continue to be enormously fortunate with book club meeting turnout~ please accept our continued thanks for carving out some time, in a quiet place in your homes, to meet and discuss each month's read safely. Some normalcy during these difficult times is o so welcomed!

To the book~

In Shaker Heights, a placid, progressive suburb of Cleveland, everything is planned--from the layout of the winding roads, to the colors of the houses, to the successful lives its residents will go on to lead. And no one embodies this spirit more than Elena Richardson, whose guiding principle is playing by the rules.

Enter Mia Warren--an enigmatic artist and single mother--who arrives in this idyllic bubble with her teenaged daughter Pearl, and rents a house from the Richardsons. Soon Mia and Pearl become more than tenants: all four Richardson children are drawn to the mother-daughter pair. But Mia carries with her a mysterious past and a disregard for the status quo that threatens to upend this carefully ordered community.

This book was very well received by the group. Ng's writing style was complimented, along with a nod being made to her debut novel, Everything I Never Told You. It was said that the characters and the setting were believable and drafted well, while noting the book had a "Stepford Wives" kind of feel to it. 

We discussed several pivotal elements to the book that were tricky to definitively conclude. For example, by surrendering May Ling to the fire station, did Bebe by default surrender her parental rights? Should May Ling/Mirabelle have been returned to Bebe, or stay in the care of the McCulloughs? There were cases made for both outcomes. In addition, was Mia's ultimate decision to keep the surrogate baby she carried acceptable? And if so, did it warrant uprooting and relocating every few months to stay untraceable? Would it have made any difference in the familial tensions between the Richardsons and the Warrens if the truth about Lexie's abortion had been revealed? The answers to these questions and more weren't unanimous, and weren't shared with conviction from those who weighed in on them. Rather, this book, and it's subsequent discussion, was a solid case of being able to fully recognize the circumstances surrounding these different characters, and their plot twists, while empathizing with both sides. It made for really good conversation, as can so often happen with subject matter with no clear constricting black and white lines.

In closing, the Hulu television miniseries "Little Fires Everywhere", based on the current novel, was mentioned as great supplemental material and definitely worth a look! Who's up for a book club movie night when we can be together again? I'll bring the popcorn!

 

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

Endurance by Alfred Lansing

 

 

 

November's pick was Endurance by Alfred Lansing, with Little Fires Everywhere by Celeste Ng on deck for December. It was a great turnout~ thank you to everyone who attended and made the conversation plentiful! 

Looking ahead, a suggestion was made, and widely welcomed, that for the next round/year of voting we reserve 4 or 5 of the twelve selected books to dedicated genre's of our choosing. For example, we may choose to nominate and then select a book from the Mystery, Contemporary, Memoir, MN Author, and Crime categories, while leaving the remaining 7 slots vacant for regular open nominations. After a round/year of trying out dedicated categories, we thought we'd reassess to see how we liked it. At that time, we can make any changes or scrap the idea altogether. In the meantime, please give the idea some thought, and be thinking of any requisite categories you'd like to see included (Young Adult was recommended during the meeting!) on the nomination ballot and either bring those suggestions, along with any questions you might have, to next month's meeting, or leave a comment down below! If you're feeling like this suggested idea isn't a good fit, let us know that too!

Without further ado~

In August 1914, polar explorer Ernest Shackleton boarded the Endurance and set sail for Antarctica, where he planned to cross the last uncharted continent on foot. In January 1915, after battling its way through a thousand miles of pack ice and only a day's sail short of its destination, the Endurance became locked in an island of ice. Thus began the legendary ordeal of Shackleton and his crew of twenty-seven men. When their ship was finally crushed between two ice floes, they attempted a near-impossible journey over 850 miles of the South Atlantic's heaviest seas to the closest outpost of civilization. In Endurance, the definitive account of Ernest Shackleton's fateful trip, Alfred Lansing brilliantly narrates the harrowing and miraculous voyage that has defined heroism for the modern age. 

This book was liked and appreciated by the majority of the group. A small few found it hard to get into and stay invested in, others found it difficult to read about the vast amounts of cold, and wet, and wind, and suffering. It was said that all that cold, and wind, and wet seemed to become a character of it's own midway through the book, much like an earlier book club read, Into Thin Air, by John Krakauer. Unanimously, Ernest Shackleton was decided to be a tremendously admirable leader, even in and especially throughout, the most challenging times of the almost 2 year voyage. We tried to speculate about why there was so much competition to become one of the members of the crew, and why this trip was so important in the first place. Was it a lifelong aspiration of Shackleton's? Something each of them need to do to prove something? A genuine sense of adventure or curiosity? A simple desire to be the first ever to do it? Notoriety?

There were several comments about how incredible it was that not only everyone survived the expedition, but that they did so with very little supplies, training, and gear, and yet without much argument, complaint, and/or strife among the entire crew. It's interesting sometimes how if books such as these weren't undoubtedly nonfiction, based largely on actual journals, letters, and interviews with the original individuals themselves (and we really like it when they are based on these things), no one would believe the tale. "The truth is stranger than fiction."

 

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

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