A great choice

The Kingsolver book was a chore to read in spots, but it was well worth pressing through to the end. I loved the Lolita story in the last chapter, and her trip to Italy gave me the urge to go back.

DEWEY, on the other hand, won't let me put it down. Even non-cat fanciers would have to love this one. I miss the luxury of having our books supplied for us, but I'd have to purchase this one on my own, anyway. My sister-in-law just lost her "studio" cat, Ruby, who had lived in her photography shop for seventeen years. I bought a copy of DEWEY for her as a tribute.

I hope everybody gets a lift from this month's selection and has a wonderful Thanksgiving!

Amy

Animal, Vegetable, Miracle

I'm sorry some of you didn't like the book, but if you ever find yourself needing something good to read, I suggest you try it again. I admit that the appeal may be stronger for us farmers at heart, but Kingsolver's talent as a writer comes through in this book as strongly as it did in Poisonwood Bible. Who else could make turkey slaughtering inspirational???

By the way, Angela, the book also makes me think of my father and his love of the land. I once read some letters he wrote to my grandparents as he traveled across country by train to his assigned army post during World War II. You'd think a young man in that situation would be worrying about his future or trying to reassure an anxious family, but his letters were filled with detailed descriptions of the farms he observed out of the train windows. He was clearly fascinated by the farming methods that differed from the ones he had grown up seeing and by the regional changes signaled by the color and quality of the soils in the tilled fields.

But back to the book. I've been an organic gardener since I started growing vegetables in a home garden about eight years ago, but I intend to be much more adventuresome from now on. If the Kingsolvers can stick by the vow to eat only local foods for a year, I can certainly branch out from the safe selections of tomatos, peppers, and squash that I've limited myself to so far. As a matter of fact, I have some Kingsolver-inspired broccoli and collards in the garden right now!

Kingsolver

I suspect Mimi and I may the the rabid enthusiasts for ANIMAL, VEGETABLE, MIRACLE, but honestly I'm ready to move to Spencer's farm in Aiken county and start planting. Kingsolver transported me back to my daddy's organic plot on our farm in Starr. I've been homesick since I picked up the book. I'm going to try the recipe for a vegetable bread pudding next, and I've been out to our little tomato plants harvesting the last of this summer's bounty. They would have rotted on the vine had the book not sent me scurrying for the hope of just one more jucy, lucious, tonguefest--and there they were just hanging in the weeds--dozens of them. I bit the top of one standing in the yard, greedily sucked out the juice, and sent a silent thanks to Barbara.

Who out there has put on a pot of water to boil, headed out the the corn field--knife in hand, shucked while walking back to the house, plopted the the corn into boiling water, and impatiently waited the 10 minutes until you could slather on the butter and salt? Now that's an experience that can't be duplicated in any agribusiness ad no matter how much talent they pay for. On the agribusiness issue--several years ago after eating a mammoth serving of corn pudding, my lips and nose began to get itchy and swell. Oh NOOOOOO! I couldn't be allergic to corn, my all-time-favorite vegetable. Nope, not at all--I'm allergic to synthetic nitrogen which is widely used on those megafarms and found in literally all products containing corn unless it's labeled organic. Who knows what evil is hidden in our food?

I'm almost finished with the book and will bookmark the web site before I head back out to Rosewood Market to buy more local veges. BTW, if you've never eaten a wild turkey, it really does taste something like lobster, but you have to be willing to try dark meat since there's almost no white meat on a "real" turkey.

Irony

I do love irony, and that's certainly what we have with the Kingsolver book. At least three of our members are non-cooks or seasonal cooks, and here we are reading a book that is not about eating food but about creating food. And not just growing it--but making your own cheese? I do cook, but I have no intentions of adopting Kingsolver's lifestyle. I don't like gardening. Just ask Angela.

On the other hand, the book has given me cause to pause and think about what I'm eating and to make some small changes. I also keep reminding myself that this was an experiment for them and also carried the mercenary goal of providing fodder for another of her books. I'm also planning to do some research on issues she raises that I'd like to know more about.

Finally, my brother and sister-in-law will receive a copy of ANIMAL, VEGETABLE, MIRACLE for Christmas. They will probably adopt a number of the practices. Unfortunately, they will be pressed for room as they have just downsized from five acres to one. Alas, they had to give up the goats and the chickens.

Post-election reflection

Having breathlessly watched coverage before, during, and after last night's historic election, I am happier than ever that we read HIP HOP NATION last month. It gave me background and insights that helped me appreciate the outcome and bolster my optimism about our future.

Now if I can just get a grip on our latest selection. You know I don't cook and certainly don't do dirt...

Best,
Amy

Don't miss this

It took two tries to really get going on Party Crashing, simply because I read novels much more than nonfiction books (like most English teachers I know.) Then Keli Goff's voice started speaking right to me and I starting marking text and making personal connections.

I was so taken with her that I read all of her acknowledgments. That paid off on page 257 in the paragraph before the end. She gives a lovely tribute to her high school English teacher. It's great encouragement to all teachers who care enough to push students to do their best.

I predict this will be one of our most energetic meetings, right up there with The Thirteenth Tale.

Amy

Party Crashers

We made a good decision to time our meeting so that we could discuss this book before the election. I found it fascinating, as I am finding daily events in this current election fascinating. One problem I'm having is the lack of diversity within our group. That certainly limits our ability to discuss PARTY CRASHERS in a meaningful way.

Ellen, I do hope that Geniese will read at least some of the book and that you will share her observations with us. I'm dying to hear her reactions.

Beverly

Party Crashing so far

Having read the first 100 pages, I judge this book to be a worthy read. As a 57-year-old Caucasian Southern female Democrat, I am enjoying the inside look at situations I just hadn't known about or considered before. The business of so many young black males now ineligible to vote because of their prison records: that's tragic. That bit about being called "articulate": that's a hoot.

Having just gotten Ellen's e-mail about having to cancel such splendid efforts as the Fall Writing Conference, this book's title is ironic. The budget crisis is crashing our party in a whole 'nother way. I'm sad but hopeful that things will get better for WIN and others. The need for improved literacy instruction certainly won't go away, but we'll have to conjure up other ways to assist schools.

Heads up and chins high,
Amy

Finally

Finally finished Refuge and finally made a successful attempt at becoming a blogger. Luckily, Twilight will be a reread for me, and I'll be interested to see how it strikes me the second time. My reaction the first time around was that it was very sexy, yet I could see nothing that parents would object to. It's easy to see why this series is so popular with girls. I remember Janie's comments about her feminist reading. That stance is different from my own, but I suspect it will color my reading this time around.

Now I know

Just as y'all had said, TWILIGHT only took two good sittings to read. It's nice to know what all the fuss is about. It's no Bram Stoker, but it's definitely fun and I can see why young readers would get hooked.

I saw that TIME featured Stephanie Myer this week in their "10 Questions" section. You might enjoy watching the video on their web page: time.com/10questions, as she's delightful. She offers some nice insights into her writing process and a wonderful response to readers petitioning her to write a different ending to her last book.

Best,
Amy

Testing the Waters

I now have my very first Google Account and am an official blogger. Who knew???

It's interesting that in a very short time we have taken such culinary and technological leaps with our lil' club. When we take our field trip, that'll be the archtypical third leap. Any more and we'll be taunting the gods...

Dialect and Spelling

I've been thinking about our conversation on the use of dialect and regional speech. I wonder how long it would take a non-Southerner to figure out that cud'n = cousin. In other words, if you haven't HEARD it before (or thought about it phonetically), you would have to decode the letters and then match it to something that you do know. I agree with Beverly that Dot's use of language is powerful and that is what makes the writing come alive. I guess we all are bilingual in English, just like Ben Aaron.

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