Category Archives: Book Club Meetings

Wonderful evening at Erin’s new house in the country to discuss The Red Queen” by Margaret Drabble. There was agreement that Drabble was not successful in melding the historical and present day narratives together but the pictures and descriptions from Erin’s experiences in Korea brought the historical story come to life. The bibimbap and dumplings were delicious. Recipes for the delicious desserts will be posted and we all learned about a great place, “The Perk”, for Korean food.

Jeanne was a trooper coming on her crutches and Bev participated through FaceTime – so good to see both Bev and Jeanne recovering from their injuries.

We had a very memorable evening at Jeanne’s last night – I don’t think we have ever made more noise at a book club meeting. Watching Jann Arden’s interviews and adventures with Rick Mercer had everyone laughing out loud.

Jeanne also perfectly captured the book in her menu with Pacific salmon for an appetizer and Jann’s own meatloaf and mashed potato recipes.

On a snowy night on December we joined Josee for a discussion about Hateship, Friendship, Courtship, Loveship, Marriage by Alice Munro.

As Canadians, we were all very proud of Alice Munroe’s 2013 Nobel Prize recognised for her mastery of the contemporary short story.

It was interesting to hear why different stories resonated with the members of the club.

An Ontario sourced meal was enjoyed by all under the glow of candles and the Christmas tree.

At Halloween we all gathered at Bev’s to discuss “One Summer: America, 1927” by Bill Bryson.

The events in the book covered the great Mississippi flood and the advent of talking pictures and had stories about personalities like Henry Ford, Charles Lindburgh and Babe Ruth.

Lively discussion followed by an a lovely meal of chicken paprikash and followed of course, by apple pie.

Laura shared her vast experience and knowledge about First Native culture in Canada in her wonderful presentation of “The Orenda” by Joseph Boyden. The book is certainly sometimes brutal and unbearingly sad but all were drawn into the complex and fascinating history of our own country. Laura also made a delicious First Nations meal enjoyed by all.

Best Banana Cake Ever

Lovely evening for dining in Karen’s beautiful back yard

And the spread:–)

Moira admires the Rhodos

Sangria on the deck

C’mon you guys there’s more cake

It was unseasonably cold outside on May 15th but cosy inside when we all gathered at Jane’s to discuss “Life after Life” by Kate Atkinson. This was yet another book that was enjoyed by all the members and again led to a wide ranging discussion about life choices, fate, post-modern literature, the Blitz in the Second World War and our lives of excess vs a life of rationing.

Here is a very interesting and lovely quote from Erin:

“We have seemed to gravitate towards post-modern literature…perhaps because we are post-modern women??? What do I mean by that, I ask myself? Well… perhaps I mean that we realize that we can’t plan our lives in straight trajectories and expect it all to go as planned, and that most of the important things that happen to us… birth, death and love… are outside of our control, and end up having the greatest impact on the structure of our lives… even though we think we are the architects! Of course the “living” part, I believe is all about our relationships, and we are truly blessed to have come together as a “book club” to discuss it all, and take a moment to step back from our individual lives and reflect as a group on our “life designs’ (to continue the analogy); i.e., where we are in relation to our current book.”

The food had nothing to do with the book but I love Moroccan, so why not 🙂 and thanks to Laura for bringing the Victorian sponge.

Posted with Blogsy

On April 3rd, we all enjoyed an early spring evening in “New York” hosted by Moira and her wonderful in-house chef, Dean. This book was also enjoyed by everyone and the diagrams provided by Moira made understanding the structure and the relationships between the characters much clearer ( I should post THAT picture for everyone ). It was also interesting seeing the film of Philippe Petit completing his walk across the twin towers and also seeing the artist today in his Ted Talk. He had lessons for us all about passion and dedication. The evening also included a NY inspired menu prepared by Dean – Made to order New York strip loin steak, Waldorf salad and New York cheesecake.

Another highly recommended book and wonderful evening

Posted with Blogsy

A first for our book club – Jill had chosen a book by a local author and had the initiative to arrange for the author to attend the meeting. So on February 13th, we all gathered at Jill’s warm and cozy home and listened to John Lawrence explain his path to novelist, his writing process and some of the business side of the life of a writer. It was interesting to hear how he attempted to write in an authentic woman’s voice and I think we asked some questions what were thought provoking for him as well. It was a very memorable meeting – well done Jill!

Posted with Blogsy

On January 16th, we all enjoyed a wonderful evening at Erin’s lovely home, discussing mother-daughter relationships and the vagaries and legitimacy and impact of childhood memory, all punctuated by delicious orange food. This book was loved by all members of our club and is highly recommended.

Posted with Blogsy