Category Archives: Book Club Meetings

Laura wrote:

It was another great evening last night and I’m glad to have made it there for a portion of the evening. Dinner as always was most tasty, with my favourite being the eggplant and both sauces, so I hope to see the recipes on the blog. Thank you again for being a fabulous host, and thanks everyone for the lively conversation.

Politics being a family obsession I really appreciate your recommendation Karen of such an informative book. I thoroughly enjoyed learning the back story and understanding how each man had so much to lose by failing to come to an agreement. Unavoidably we ventured into the US election and Moira spoke about the Toronto Star reporter who has been a news item himself through his meticulous fact-checking. His name is Daniel Dale, and his posts are also on Twitter – the link below is for today’s posting. Additionally I’m sending along a link to a Globe and Mail article about how Canada could be affected by a Trump presidency. You may find this thought provoking as well, and feel free to comment further – is it all doom and gloom?

Jane wrote:

Thanks Karen for a wonderful evening and recommending (with a little help from John) such an informative and thought provoking book. I learned so many things reading this book and realized how little I know about fairly recent history.

The food was perfect and much appreciated. Recipes and sources are definitely required.

And from Josee:

Thank you Karen and all for a wonderful evening.

As I sit here and reflect on our evening, starting with when I arrived and seeing you all sitting outside on a most beautiful and open porch, Karen prepping dinner inside in a dream for kitchen, to our many diverse dialogues ranging from peace, children, grand children, food, our World, the beauty of diversity, amazing people and mind who have made differences and touched us, where we all fit in, being thankful for where we live…. oh my gosh, I could go on. Yes, we are so lucky and fortunate to live here in Canada….. May we continue to embrace each other and be grateful     lol 🙂

June 23, 2016 at Jill’s

Karen wrote:

What a lovely, magical summer evening in your garden, Jill.  I felt very privileged to be with everyone, enjoying good food and discourse especially given the novel’s subject matter.  And thanks for finding the newsreel footage of the Hungarian uprising.  Such a tragedy. Those faces are still in my memory.  It is not surprising that our conversation turned towards politics in this time of unrest with Brexit and Donald Trump.  We are a privileged generation indeed.

May 5, 2016 at Moira’s

Erin wrote:

Moira- Thanks so much for the lovely evening last night.    Although I was pressed for reading time with my work and travels, and didn’t get through much of the book… I really enjoyed the company, food and book discussion (as usual) and feel very motivated to finish reading Sweetland … with all the Newfie cultural idiosyncrasies, and funny endearing characters…

Jane wrote:

Thank you Moira for another memorable night with the Burlington Book Club. It was just what I needed – I could have sat around that table for hours with you lovely ladies, sipping on wine and discussing the wonderful book, the world, how lucky we are and how our lives are changing – I learn from all of you.

Jeanne wrote:

Moira thanks for the delicious dinner and lovely evening. “Sweetland” was a treat to read, especially since I recently visited Newfoundland. Canadian stories almost always have something familiar which makes me feel connected to the locations and the people, and I’m grateful each time I read a book like this that helps me know my country better (good and bad). The discussion was, as always, enlightening!

Thursday April 31 – An Evening at Josee’s

From Karen…

A wonderful, delicious, and life affirming evening.  Thanks Josee for suggesting the book and preparing a lovely meal (check out the recipes on our blog).  As Bev mentioned, “You know when the book choice is a success by the conversation – loud and nonstop!” I couldn’t help but notice that the novel’s subject matter was in stark contrast to the warmth and companionship of last night’s meeting.

And from Erin…

Well of course the evening was pulled off with Josee’s speciale  je ne sais quoi…  autre que sa créativité bien sûr.  The book was an incredibly good read… 

I was immediately plunged into the characters… realizing All My Puny Sorrows is such an incredible description for the human condition… so expansively insignificant but yet deeply and painfully significant to the torment of a human soul. The beauty of the book for me was in the exquisite quality of the relationships… particularly between the author and her sister which stayed a true line through all her pain…

She was a delicate orchid …. exquisite in her talent and intellect… but so fragile in terms of her requirements for surviving the weight of intergenerational trauma.

Thursday February 18th was a lovely mild, winter evening and a first time visit to Bev’s new apartment in the heart of downtown Burlington.  Bev did her research and presented an interesting lecture on the early Quebec city settlement, the famous Plains of Abraham battle, and a biography of the author Louise Penny.  The evening concluded with a delicious French meal (recipes are posted on this blog) and lively discussion – as we are wont to do!

Email excerpts:

Firstly, thank you to Bev for hosting a fascinating discussion and insight into the history of our book, and delicious meal!  Will we ever know where Champlain is really buried? We missed you Jane. (from Jill)

Thank you Bev for a great time. It was nice to be able to walk over to your place, although I loved your home as well!  After looking at the recipes I can’t believe how much work you did in preparing the Cassoulet, but it was worth all the work – fragrant and delicious. I bet the next day leftovers were wonderful too. Reading Bury Your Dead made me remember how lovely Quebec is and that I would like to re-visit soon. (from Laura)

From Moira,
Just wanted to thank you for hosting another memorable book club meeting, and for serving such a delicious, creative meal. I wanted to let you know that I finished the book while on the airplane and it helped me push on, knowing that Zou Lei was not going to die. I did have to skim the entire marathon chapter in which she walks in plastic sandals/barefoot for 30 miles. I rather liked the ending as I believe that  the world is a better place without the likes of Jimmy and I appreciated  that Skinner took control of his own destiny, even if only for a few minutes, to put himself out of his misery. I don’t believe he could ever have recovered from the depths to which he had fallen- but that’s  not my field of expertise. The ending was a bit neat for Zou Lei- but then again she deserved it and so did we!!

Thanks Jane, for bringing the book to our attention – it’s always good to push the boundaries of our reading every once in awhile. I could literally feel the level of the characters exhaustion.

See you all at Bev’s.

Moira

And from Bev

After I have read a really good book it tends to stay with me for a long time. I still am thinking about this one. Thank you for choosing it Jane. Again good book, good discussion and amazing food.

From Karen

And a very belated thank you from me!  One week later and I still find myself thinking about the characters and their situation.  I wonder just how many people- even here in Burlington, are living under the radar as undocumented immigrants, trying to hold a job and evade deportation.

I also don’t understand Jimmy and Zou Lei’s relationship.  In my reading of the novel, Jimmy and Zou Lei had a palpable sense of need for each other – but love?  They were two comrades (I use this term purposefully) striking out in hostile territory, trying to survive.  This was a gloomy read but an important one nonetheless.  As I said before, how lucky am I?  I will never complain about Manulife again.

Jane thanks for your hospitality and for taking the trouble to make us an authentic meal.  It certainly added to the pleasure of being together and discussing this “sledgehammer to the American dream”

Early December 2015, another bookclub evening, Erin’s country retreat … some comments…

I think we all agree that this was a moving and lyrical novel.  Anthony Doerr’s attention to detail is magnificent – almost poetic with his descriptions. Karen

this has become one of my favourite books, dealing with many factions, and insight into war ,emotional feelings, compassion and the bravery of a blind girl. Jill

The book is a wonderful read. The writing is lyrical. The characters unforgettable. The intertwining stories reveal the humanity of people caught up in the horror of war. Bev

Erin went to very rewarding efforts to make the food for the evening “… a delicious French meal (roasted duck with peaches, with haricots, pommes de terre and pear clafoutis for dessert).”  Here are some pictures I wish I could include the smells and the warm energy feel of Erin’s kitchen and the evening. Karen, you are up if we are going to add any “gastronomic superlatives” !

On a warm fall night Karen pulled out all the stops!! We were greeted with Hurricanes and a welcoming fire. Our pre dinner conversation evolved into a political discussion of the election and the potential of Justin as Prime Minister. Dinner was a New Orleans experience! Gumbo and homemade biscuits, shrimp and a sauce made for biscuit dipping, and the topper; sweet potato pecan pie! Craig even joined us later and shared his version of their great Crawfish adventure!

We missed Jane and Moira and their insights

What a great night to start this book club season. Glorious night on Jeanne’s new deck watching the lights of the city twinkling below and feasting on the bounty of Jeanne’s garden.

“

The following is a very apt and eloquent description of the evening from Karen:

So how did Bookclub go”, asked Craig as soon as I came home last night.

“Well,” I said. “We started off with a glass of Prosecco, and sampled cheese, olives, along with Jeanne’s home made sun-dried tomatoes. Everyone was happy to get back together, so the conversation and red wine flowed freely. From there we moved onto Jeanne’s new outdoor deck, lit with candles, to sit down and enjoy a fabulous meal, with vegetables freshly picked from her garden.”

“What about the book?”, he inquired.

“Wait, I am getting to that…” “Did I mention the view”? It was incredible, overlooking Burlington, Brampton and the lake… and the stars were out too, then we had a delicious pear dessert…”

“…and the book”?

“Oh yes, we finished our meal and dove into the story. It was an historical novel based in the 1800s and takes place on a plantation in Charleston. The story focuses on the lives of two women, one white, privileged and the other, her female slave. Both were trapped in a life not of their choosing. The evening’s conversation touched on the abolitionist struggle, the women’s rights movement and how not that much has changed today. Each person had insightful contributions to make. We could have talked longer but we all had to get home.”

“So all in all, it was just like one of my manly poker nights?”

“Yes, I guess so, minus the good food and scintillating conversation!”

‘H’ is for Hawk is a poetic memoir that garnered another free ranging discussion of the themes and many memories of our own fathers. Some of us were fascinated by the details of falconry and others were uncomfortable with the whole concept of a tethered animal.

Erin commented, “Thank you again Laura for recommending the read and of course the stimulating presentation and discussion that followed…

I have caught myself reflecting more than a few times today… on many more aspects of the narrative.

It really is so amazing to me, that a seemingly simple and straightforward memoir about training a goshawk … was skilfully crafted into an entry point for many of life’s themes … some of which we touched on… such as grief and loss and the individuality of the process one goes through following significant loss, human intervention in the wild, human attachment and human relationship with creatures of the wild, our level of emotional attunement with each other (and how self absorption in the grief process can interfere with our connection with others), social class, sexual orientation, father-daughter relationships, and so on.”

Laura made the landscape and author and Mabel come alive by preparing a fascinatingslide show. She served a delicious vegetarian meal which was an inspired theme choice.

It was a wonderful night and was highlighted by Bev’s triumphant return – walking with only minimal assistance of her cane – quite the inspiration.