Book Club Field Trip!

Book Club Steps Out..

We pulled ourselves away from our favorite reading nooks and crannies, from our jobs and obligations, and got together for a completely un-bookish night out at a local Paint and Pub, called Pip’s Painting.  And we had a blast!  

The premise of the painting night is easy, and similar to paint by number but you are following the instructions of an actual artist and teacher.  Perfect for me, since my creative talents do not lie in the drawing and painting medium.  The class was painting peacocks the night of our class, because I reserved our date months in advance and the teacher let me pick the painting. 

But we will get to the painting in a minute. We first met at the sushi bar across the street, except for Mary who couldn't make it to dinner. We had sushi and the most delicious drinks ever, strawberry saketinis. And talk about service! We ordered these drinks and the restaurant was out of one of the ingredients, so the owner ran to the store to buy the stuff that was needed, so that we could get our drink on.  (actually, we only drank one of these each – they were strong!) Also a highlight of this restaurant is one of the owners, who looks like James Franco. Seriously. 

After, I raced ahead to the painting place across the street, since the sushi place was taking forever with the bill, and I apparently have some sort of OCD issue about being late.  Lol.  Slowly our group all trickled in, bottles of wine in hand. Pip’s graciously supplies cups, napkins, and a corkscrew- they awesomely allow you to bring your beverage of choice.  Kelly and I had both forgotten to bring anything, so she called her husband to bring us something up.  When we got to our seats, the employees of Pip’s had everything all set up for us. Paint was on a plate between every two people, brushes were in a glass of fresh water, and our canvas was on our easel, with the outline of the peacock sketched in for us.  I was very relieved about this – I had been worried my peacock was going to look like he was really messed up.  

Our instructor started us out by drawing in the eye, saying she did want us to at least draw one thing ourselves. This sparked panic throughout the room, but we all did pretty good! From here on out it was following the instructions on how and what colors to fill in with our paint.   Everyone in my book club had their own style of painting.  Mary, normally a talker, was concentrating fully on her work and was in her own world; Kelly disregarded the color instructions and made her own, based on her own design sense.  Jill, who is working on embracing her own creativity, made bold splashes of color across her canvas, and Chrissy, the perfectionist, worked intensely, and had the sharpest outline and best peacock eye. The only thing I can say about myself is that I was the messiest! I had paint on my hands, on my face, and in my hair.  I am not sure what this says about me. 

We all seemed to have a great time, and want to go back and do it again! We missed our friends Jennifer and Alyssa, hopefully the next time we go they can make it.  It was good to step out of our everyday and do something different, and I think we all did a great job painting, considering none of us have ever really painted a picture before.  I also want to give props to our teacher, who did a great job leading us through our painting. I can't wait to go again!

Left to right: Jill, Chissy, me-hidden because I had to hold my painting up and I am not tall, Kelly, and Mary

Farewell, Dorothy Parker - Review

Title: Farewell, Dorothy Parker

Author: Ellen Meister

Source: LibraryThing

Goodreads Summary:

When it comes to movie reviews, critic Violet Epps is a powerhouse voice. But that’s only because she’s learned to channel her literary hero, Dorothy Parker, the most celebrated and scathing wit of the twentieth century.
If only Violet could summon that kind of strength in her personal life.

Gripped by paralyzing anxiety, Violet visits the Algonquin Hotel in an attempt to pull strength from the hallowed dining room, where Dorothy Parker and so many other famous writers of the 1920s traded barbs. But she gets more than she bargained for, and the feisty spirit rematerializes . . . hitching a ride onto Violet’s already troubled life.

An irreverent ghost with problems of her own—including a refusal to cross over to the afterlife—Mrs. Parker helps Violet face her fears, becoming mentor, tormentor, and, with any luck, friend.
Wickedly funny and surprisingly poignant, Farewell, Dorothy Parker perfectly re-imagines one of America’s most iconic voices in a touching and unforgettable tale.

My thoughts:

One of my long time dreams is to be able to stay at the Algonquin Hotel in New York, the very home of the Vicious Circle.  To see the (in)famous round table[i], and imagine those literary wits lunching and drinking and bandying back and forth. Even to walk the same rooms as they did would be like visiting a museum, in my mind. I could sit at the bar and drink whiskey sours, and pet Matilda. Perhaps I would hear some echo throughout its walls of Parker and her crew, but I can pretty much guarantee I would not be bringing her ghost home with me in a stolen guest book.

Which is what happens to Violet Epps.  Violet is a timid woman, who has lost her voice when speaking for herself.  She is able to be free when writing her movie reviews, which are often biting in tone, but when it comes to her and relationships, whether romantic or other otherwise, she is meek, a “shrinking violet” if you will. (I couldn’t resist!) An avid reader of Dorothy Parker, Violet , in efforts to bolster her confidence, often thinks to herself, WWDPD? 

When she suddenly finds herself host to the a spectral Dorothy, Violet’s careful world is thrown into chaos. Violet has been grieving the loss of her sister, and is fighting a custody battle for her niece, and suddenly there are gin bottles and cigarette butts everywhere.  The independent and mischievous Parker also encourages Violet to be stronger and fight for what she wants, although sometimes Parker’s methods cause more harm than good.   

Both characters have inner hang-ups that are holding them back; together these are explored, both helping the other in their own ways. To be honest, I didn’t think either were that traumatic or moving – maybe they just weren’t discussed deeply enough? I don’t know, I guess I just didn’t think their problems were a big deal, mainly Violet’s. I was kind of like get over it girl, whatever. 

The book also included facts about Parker’s life, and incorporated some of her most famous quotes and witticisms. I have to be honest; I was very worried about this aspect of the book. I didn’t know how it was going to be tackled, and I thought it could go very wrong. It was handled with a light hand though, and was not overdone. 

This book was whimsical and light and charming. Probably the opposite of Parker’s works in that way, but enjoyable none the less, as the book was more about Violet finding her strength with the help of Parker, than about Parker herself.  If you read and liked Kinsella’s Twenties Girl, this book was similar.  

Now I want to visit the Algonquin more than ever.  

And seriously, what was Dorothy Parker's favorite drink? I have heard so many versions of this answer, scotch or gin or whiskey sours?

---

[i] If it is even still there!

It' Monday, What Are You Reading?

It's Monday, What Are You Reading is a weekly blog meme hosted by Sheila at Book Journey where you list the books you read last week and the ones you hope to read this week. 

Read Last Week:

Farewell, Dorothy Parker by Ellen Meister: This is a whimsical take on a timid woman's life and the spirit of Dorothy Parker. I really enjoyed it! Review coming soon.

Reading This Week:

    

This Rough Magic by Mary Stewart: This is another of my go to comfort reading authors. 

History of a Pleasure Seeker by Richard Mason: Still working on this for book club. 

Coming up this week!

Review of Farewell, Dorothy Parker

Book Club Field Trip post

Review of This Rough Magic

A Few Quicky Reviews

Anyone But You by Jennifer Crusie

I love these little quicky reviews, they are perfect sometimes. I got the idea from Jennifer at The Relentless Reader.  I really needed some easy reading recently, and these three books did a great job filling that need.

This is a cute and fluffy book, an easy read.  I picked it up because I had just finished a few pretty intense books, and I needed a commercial break for my brain. Jennifer Crusie writes nifty characters, who are funny and smart.  This particular book was about an older woman and a younger man, and unconditional love.  If you need a book to cleanse the palette, try this one.

 Prince of Darkness by Barbara Michaels

Barbara Michaels is a fall back comfortable writer for me.  If I am floundering about, in the mood to read but being picky about books, I will grab one of hers off my shelf.  I have read them over and over, but there is something..cozy..about them. And I love the usually gothic type of atmosphere.

Christmas on Ladybug Farm by Donna Ball

I should have read this at Christmas time for the full impact, but whatever.  I still like these characters, such a gentle, easily solved world they live in. This book reminded me of the Little House on the Prairie Christmas episode where they all recalled past Christmases.

So, there you have it! My easy reading for the past couple of weeks.

Sideways on a Scooter - Review

Title:  Sideways on a Scooter

Author: Miranda Kennedy

Source: Library

Goodreads Summary:

When twentysomething reporter Miranda Kennedy leaves her job in New York City and travels to India with no employment prospects, she longs to immerse herself in the turmoil and excitement of a rapidly developing country. What she quickly learns in Delhi about renting an apartment as a single woman—it’s next to impossible—and the proper way for women in India to ride scooters—perched sideways—are early signs that life here is less Westernized than she’d counted on.

Living in Delhi for more than five years, and finding a city pulsing with possibility and hope, Kennedy experiences friendships, love affairs, and losses that open a window onto the opaque world of Indian politics and culture—and alter her own attitudes about everything from food and clothes to marriage and family. Along the way, Kennedy is drawn into the lives of several Indian women, including her charismatic friend Geeta—a self-described “modern girl” who attempts to squeeze herself into the traditional role of wife and mother; Radha, a proud Brahmin widow who denies herself simple pleasures in order to live by high-caste Hindu principles; and Parvati, who defiantly chain-smokes and drinks whiskey, yet feels compelled to keep her boyfriend a secret from her family.

In her effort to understand the hopes and dreams that motivate her new friends, Kennedy peels back India’s globalized image as a land of call centers and fast-food chains and finds an ancient place where, in many ways, women’s lives have scarcely changed for centuries. Incisive, witty, and written with a keen eye for the lush vibrancy of the country that Kennedy comes to love, Sideways on a Scooter is both a remarkable memoir and a cultural revelation.

My thoughts:

It has taken me a long time to decide what I wanted to say about this book.  There was just so much to process.  In short, this book is amazing. I picked it up thinking I was going to get just a travel memoir type book, but it was so much more. 

Miranda Kennedy found the soul of India and wrote from there, and wrote about her experiences in a way that those of us who have never visited India before could perfectly picture what was going on.  I felt like I knew her friends, Geeta, Parvati, Radha, Maneesh, Usha, Azmat. And although their lives are very different from mine in many ways, we are all the same, wanting and desiring the same things.

I don’t want to assume that this book depicts totally what life is like in India, I don’t want to make that generalization. But I do think it gives us a closer glimpse through Kennedy’s life there. The contradictions, like Parvati, who was a whiskey drinking, smoking, foul mouthed journalist, modern in many ways, yet secretive about her relationship with her boyfriend; Geeta, struggling between a traditional and modern life and which she really wanted, that  turned out to be somewhere in between. 

Also, in my naiveté and ignorance, I had no idea that the caste system was still in effect and so powerful. I am embarrassed at my lack of knowledge at this, and reading about what it is like to be of a lower caste, like Maneesh, and your whole life never being able to do more than dispose of waste and dead people, to never hope for more.  Another shocking fact from Kennedy:  one woman dies by fire every hour, mostly daughter-in-laws killed as bride burning, or dowry deaths. When I read this, I had to put the book down for a moment. Just thinking about this gives one pause.  How tragic and sad and horrible. There just aren’t words.

Sideways on a Scooter was not all about the parts of India that they might not want to advertise though. There is a greater sense of community, it seems to me, at least where Miranda lived.  She belonged to a gym for women, where the women mostly sat around and talked to each other, sharing their knowledge and learning from the others. The gym owner found herself researching topics for the women that they didn’t have access to, to help them out- regarding everything under the sun. It was an outlet for them to relax and be themselves.  

This book was just so much, I can’t begin to scratch the surface. I think this is a book anyone should read, I loved every bit and when it ended, I felt a little sad- my journey with Miranda had ended, and with that ending, so did the lives of the women in the book, who shine through the pages and words capturing the reader so that we want to know more about them.  I hope they are all doing well.

It' Monday, What Are You Reading?

It's Monday, What Are You Reading is a weekly blog meme hosted by Sheila at Book Journey where you list the books you read last week and the ones you hope to read this week. 

Read Last Week:

Well, I thought it was going to be a slow reading week and it was. I just had bunches to do with yearbook being due and book club at my house. This week it will be nice to relax with a book. And catch up on reviews..

I only read:

Anyone but You by Jennifer Crusie: Very cute and fun.  There was a different dynamic in the book that I enjoyed.

Reading this Week:

Ok, I am going to change these up a bit from last week. I will still read those books, but not this week.

  

Farewell, Dorothy Parker by Ellen Meister: I won this from Librarything and I am so so excited to read it.  I LOVE Dorothy Parker - if I could go back in time and hang out with someone, it would be her.  It will be interesting to see how the main character channels her.

History of a Pleasure Seeker by Richard Mason: This is our book club book for March.  And for those of you who like Dan Stevens (Matthew Crawley from Downton Abbey), he narrates the audio book. 

February Book Club

Hostess: Erin (me!)
Book: Blankets by Craig Thompson
Food:  Potato Soup, Homemade Dill Bread, Strawberry/Raspberry/Mint Salad, Radishes with butter and salt,  cheese and crackers, and Slutty Brownies
Month: February
Wine of the Night: LaMarca Prosecco

It was pretty fitting to me that I had a snow day from work the day before book club, because of you know, Blankets, and blankets of snow and cold and all that. Snowy Michigan winters. I was thankful, because I had time to make homemade dill bread. I think that is my new calling, making bread by the way.  

See my bread? Lol.

Back to the book - everyone who read it loved it!  Jennifer loved the part where Raina sings Just Like Heaven softly to Craig. We talked about Craig's dad, whether he was mean or not; the part where he makes the little brother sleep in the hole freaked me out and made me really sad. I know what it is like to have a younger sibling you want to protect, and feeling like you failed.  We talked about the shocking babysitter part, wow, we were not expecting that level or realism, honesty or vulnerability when we started the book. But it was there.  We talked about Craig's art and Christianity - there are just so many layers to this book. This book is totally worth the read.  (you can read my full review here)

It was a good night, with lots of conversation and laughter. Kelly had just gotten back from London, so we heard all about her trip, and talked a little bit about Chrissy and Jill's future trips there this summer.  As always, it was a great time. 

Next month is Jill's, and she chose History of a Pleasure Seeker for us to read.