Book Group: May, June, and July 2014

Book: Life After Life

Author: Kate Atkinson

Group meeting: Thursday May 29, 2014

Place: My house

Dessert: Poppyseed cake in honor of Barbara's birthday!

Note to self: write these things more promptly. My memory fades. . .

My overwhelming reaction to this book was that the author couldn't make up her mind and so presented the same scenes over and over with different details and outcomes. Challenging for the reader. Excellent depiction of life in London during the German bombing during WWII. 

NO IMAGE (downloaded book on my iPad)

Book: Someone

Author: Alice McDermott

Group meeting: Tuesday, June 24, 2014

Place: Jean's house

Dessert: Homemade lemon ice cream and shortbread cookies

I found the story tedious. A woman's life in Brooklyn; her family; her loves; her job at the funeral parlor; her children. Well written, but it didn't move me. However, for some in the group it was the "best I've read in 10 years." Really? We are a diverse group in our literary tastes at least.

Book: Boy, Snow, Bird

Author: Helen Oyeyemi

Group meeting: Monday, July 28, 2014

Place: Barbara's

Dessert: blueberry pie with whipped cream (Thelma's crust recipe)

This one is a page-turner. A perfect summer read. Problem was, I read it too fast and had to re-read parts of it again to review before Book Group. A rat catcher who abuses his child; her life after she runs away; mixed race families and a big surprise at the end. A little contrived at times, but I liked it.

Three Springs

1) Madison
Spring came late. It seemed that winter would never end. Migrating birds were abundant for a short time and the spring wildflowers lasted long with the cool weather.

Trillium photo, the first with my new iPhone.

Magnolias blossomed in the Arboretum more than a month later than last year.

 And, we could begin painting the house with no mosquitos. (Going from purples to greens.)

2) The Lonely Pines

We were able to see the leaves unfold a second time a couple weeks later at the cabin (The Lonely Pine/s on Moccasin Lake near Elcho, Wisconsin). The dock was in the water. It is an almost annual event for Jim to repair it. Note fleece and stocking cap. That water is COLD!

Nothing better than morning coffee by the lake.

3) The MN North Shore (my first real "vacation" in retirement)

This is way up north. As a matter of fact we would have continued around Lake Superior, but we failed to bring our passports for travel into Canada. The cool weather kept the bugs down and the people away. 

Fog on the way up.

We had lovely walks, a bike ride on the Gitchi-Gumi Trail, and great food. Sharon and Gary Charles joined us at the rustic KahNeeTah/Lakeview (sort of) cabin which gave us good access to all the area parks and restaurants.

 Sharon comes out the door, ready for our bike ride.

Gary searches for Lake Superior rocks (or he's washing his hands).

 Jim contemplates the volume of water passing!

A tip from Minneapolis friends sent us to this beach to look for rocks. Great sign!