book club snacks

We had a major loss some time ago. Then I guess I have gone through a depression and have gotten behind here.... We have read several books. Including The Bone People by Keri Hulme, it was about 3 very damaged people and the way they damaged each other until they managed to heal. It was very culturally driven.... I have never read anything quite like it... It was absolutely brilliant. Rather than being plot, theme, or character driven, it was driven by character experience. It was hard to read and did not conform to what I expect in a book grammatically etc... So that made it maddening and actually hard since I am dyslexic. But, I got through it. if you can read this you can read anything. it was absolutely beautiful and sad. It was based in and on Maori culture in New Zealand. I would encourage everyone to wade through this book. it is absolutely fascinating.

Another one we read recently, was Under The Whispering Door by TJ Klune. I have to say this might be one of my all time favorite books. it was original, intelligent, broad minded, deep, hilarious, until something like the last 4 chapters when I started to cry. Then I just sat there weeping through the rest of the book. I absolutely LOVED it. The story is that a rather icky person a lawyer, dies. He wakes up dead, at his own funeral, his ex is saying her piece. His law partners didn't think much of him, and this weird woman he doesn't recognize can see him. No one else can. She is a reaper. She gathers the souls of the dead and takes them to a tea house a place of transition where a man named Hugo, helps them cross over. But he isn't alone there, Hugo's old grandad ghost hangs out along with one of his family pets that passed on. Together with the woman reaper they run and live at the tea house. This story is about unconventional love, how conventional it actually is. the writer did a great job. It was like living inside a hug for the week I spent reading this book. I could not put it down.

Another one we touched on was About Grace by Anthony Doerr. I can't say much about it since I failed to read it. it was in may, planting season. i was so overwhelmed that month that literally everything that wasn't getting planted in the ground stopped existing for a while. others read it. None of them particularly loved it. They all really wanted to because this writer has a history of writing brilliant books. but unfortunately this one just didn't resonate with any member of the club. it was about a man that had a premonition of failing to save his daughter from a flood. So, he ran away to try to prevent the whole event. By not being there, what transpired couldn't happen. That was the theory. Sometimes the biggest mistakes we make in life are made with the best of intentions... it's nice someone wrote a story to remind us of this fact.

Right now, we are preparing to go discuss our next book, which I won't talk about here till after we discuss it as a group. Ahab's Wife, by Sena jeter Naslund. We will be discussing this book, Down The Cape, looking out over the same ocean that Nantucket, looks at from a little Cape beach much like the beaches of Nantucket. Once a year the book club heads to the Cape. We choose 6 new books and discuss the current book. We walk the sand flats together, and do other activities. Breakfast at Grumpies is common, a visit to any number of the activities on The Cape, are often part of the plan. We walk the strand, and we enjoy the water view. My busy season has come to an end. I haven't stopped going 20 miles a minute running this farm doing the hard farm labor since May. This weekend, will be my first vacation in something like 2 years or more now... I think since the start of Covid. The Book club will be down for the weekend that kicks off my 8 day vacation by the ocean at the end of the busy season. I need this. I promise, I will write about this book after we talk about it as a group while I am on vacation.

Honorable mentions that have NOTHING to do with Book Club.
Eating On The Wild Side by Jo Robinson was absolutely an amazing read. it is going change what I am farming some.

If Women Rose Rooted by Sharon Blackie, every woman should read this book. That is all.

The Organic Country Home Handbook by Natalie Wise, I LOVE this book! it has changed the way I clean my house and I am super stoked with the results, and the inspiration it offers me to using the ideas here only modified to clean my house. Every woman needs this book.