IBC #3 (August 20, 2006)

The third meeting of the IBC (Irreverent by Choice) book club convened on a hot, hazy, humid (does that count for alliteration?) Sunday afternoon at Sharla’s house. This was our largest group yet, with charter members Colleen, Bev, Lee and yours truly joined by Darin, Virginia, Brad, Kay, Laura, Sharla, Finnegan and Tucker (Finnegan and Tucker didn’t discuss any books they had read… prolly a good thing, as I’m not sure we would be able to comprehend canine literature. For the record, neither one of them appreciated Marley and Me, both of them feeling that Marley was merely an attention-seeking publicity hound –as evidenced by the fact that when their humans were reading it, they weren’t paying enough attention to them – I’m sure this wasn’t the case, but who am I to question how someone feels about a book?). Sharla was the perfect host(ess), providing a beautiful, comfortable setting for our lively discussions, Fritos (I love Fritos) and making cookies, to boot! Virginia’s hummus (homemade, not store-bought) was terrific, as were Colleen’s berry bars and Bev’s ooeey-gooeey brownies. But enough about the food (and thanks to Laura and Lee for bringing beverages, too!)... Because of the large cast of characters that participated in the book club, it might be helpful to draw up a genealogy chart, much like Virginia did for The Blind Assassin, but I’m nowhere near that ambitious or talented – so without further adieu, I’ll just launch into the summary.

This meeting’s unofficial topic was Historical Fiction – a very loose category, befitting our very loose and informal structure. As Laura put it, all literature occurs in time and space, thereby defining it as historical – although Darin, who tends to read non-fiction and science fiction pointed out that his fiction tends to be future history (a concept I’m still trying to wrap my mind around).
As the official note-taker and chronicler of the book club (or de facto – I wasn’t really elected, but no one else wanted to… so you’re stuck w/ my ramblings), I went first. In past summaries, I’ve included a review or summary that I most often pulled from Amazon.com… for brevity’s sake, I’ll just include a link to the book at Amazon – if you’ve never visited Amazon, then you are in the fine company of my 86 year old grandmother (who has never typed on anything that didn’t require a ribbon) and no one else… but there are generally editorial reviews and comments as you scroll down the page for the book, if you are interested in that sort of thing. The links are attached to the first time I mention the title of the book in the review (if you see blue underline, you should be able to follow the link to the book at Amazon.com). I discussed two books and passed the gavel.
Dave’s Diatribe
The March, by E.L. Doctorow – E.L. Doctorow has written a number of books that would probably be classified as historical fiction. Two of his earlier books were Ragtime and Billy Bathgate. The March chronicles Sherman’s march through Atlanta and up through North Carolina toward the end of the Civil War (or the War Between the States, or the War of Northern Aggression, depending on from where you hail), through the eyes of several different characters. There are a pair of Confederate deserters, an egomaniacal Union Cavalry General, the daughter of a Southern judge, a Union surgeon from Germany, a former slave who was the offspring of a slave mother and her owner, and more… each presents a unique perspective on the events. Prior to reading the book, I only knew of the terrible devastation that this march caused throughout the South – and its impact on creating distrust and resentment during the reconstruction. What I wasn’t aware of was the sheer mass of the march – as Sherman’s divisions progressed through the south, liberating slaves along the way, many of the newly freed slaves joined in the procession. Also adding to the throng were Confederate deserters, prisoners, and people who had lost their homes and property as a result of the march. Part of the devastation was caused by trying to sustain thousands and thousands of people as they traipsed through Georgia, South Carolina and North Carolina. E.L. Doctorow has a minimalist writing style, but uses several ‘little’ events to evoke a larger mood. He also doesn’t take sides on this – Sherman is neither good nor bad, but is human – and there are good and bad on both sides – and often people who are just trying to survive the events and conditions surrounding them. All in all, this is a very enjoyable book –and the events and narrative are such that you read it quickly.

My second offering was even deeper in terms of historical fiction. The Preservationist by David Maine is a fictional recounting of the tale of Noah and the ark (using the old Hebrew spelling, Noe). It is told from several perspectives – certainly by Noe, going into his relationship with Yahweh, his family, and society in general (apparently, a 600 year old man is somewhat of a novelty), but also by Noe’s wife (hereby named, ‘the wife’ – society was a bit misogynistic in those days), Noe’s three sons (Shem, Moe, Larry… no – just kidding… Shem, Cham ((Ham in contemporary bibliology)) and Japheth), as well is his very unique daughters-in-law (Bera, Ilya and Mirn - who are really the heart of the book). This book addresses exactly how Noe got the ark built (did you know that Cham was a ship-builder?), how the animals were collected, how they kept the lions from eating the sheep, and who actually cleaned up after the animals while they were ark-borne for 150 days. There is a lot of humor in this book, and a lot of introspection. The blurb on the front cover compares it to Life of Pi, and for those of you who have read it, it’s a fair comparison. The tone of the two books, plus their similar plot devices – adrift on an ocean, in the presence of wild animals, self-examination of one’s faith, do make them similar reads… (although there are no talking animals in The Preservationist). I loved The Preservationist, and am very much looking forward to the author’s next book, Fallen, where he tackles the tale of Cain and Abel.

Sharla’s Synopsis

Sharla is re-reading one of her favorite series. It begins with Outlander, by Diana Gabaldon. Inexplicably, according to Sharla, it can be found in the romance section of your local book store – even though the story has so much more depth, and doesn’t really fit into any one genre. The story centers around a nurse, Claire from the 20th century, post WWII, who while honeymooning with her modern-day husband, ‘falls’ into 18th century Scotland, right before the Scottish Uprising and the time of the Jacobites. While trapped in this time, Claire falls in love with Jamie Fraser, a highlander that Sharla swears any woman will fall in love with (but he’s still a ‘man’s man’) – as he’s such a richly developed character. In keeping with the times, there is a life and death situation seemingly on every other page, further adding to the amazement that people actually survived through all of the hardships and crisis (makes our lives seem easy!). Through Claire’s adventures, Galbadon provides a fresh look at the history of the era, and the subsequent books in the series take them to the ‘colony’ of North Carolina, and the grass roots of the American Revolution. Sharla loves these books (and Kay agrees), and is really enjoying re-reading them. However, she did warn everyone that these were the type of books that cause you to stay up late at night, skip social engagements and miss dentists appointments for more opportunities to read. Highly recommended, and don’t let the romance moniker drive you off! Something tells me that we’ll be hearing about volume 2 (Dragonfly in Amber) at the next gathering of the IBC!

Bev’s Banter

Even after only three meetings, the IBC has developed some traditions… Dave somehow works Lamb into the conversation, someone brings up something that provokes a “Not in my world” response from Colleen, we all talk about how much we hated The Prophet of Yonwood (or as Bev calls it, The Prophet of Not-so-much) and Bev reviews a children’s book. This meeting’s contribution was Running Out of Time, by Margaret Peterson Haddix. The book is about Jessie, a 13 year old living in a frontier village in what she believes is the 1840s. As the villagers one by one are struck with diphtheria, Jessie’s mother confides in her that the year is really 1996, what they live in is actually a tourist attraction/experiment, and sends Jessie on a quest for help. For those of you who have seen M. Night Shameial, Shemazel, hottsentotts incorporated The Village, the idea is similar (but predates M. Night by a few years), without Opie’s blind daughter and the creepy red cloaks. I read this at Bev’s recommendation and preferred it to The Village. Bev teaches 6th grade, for those of you who weren’t paying attention (you can stay after class and clean the chalkboards), and she reads this to her class – they could certainly read it themselves, but this gives her the opportunity to facilitate a lot of discussion on the many concepts and ideas that are presented in the book. As Bev says – ‘If you want a good book, go to the library… and if you want a really good book, go to the Children’s section.’

Bev’s adult contribution was Night, by Elie Wiesel, translated by his wife. (btw, Night does not refer to M. Night Shamalama ding-dong). She first read this as a teenager, because it was assigned to her. However, this newer edition was translated by his wife, and as Wiesel explains in the foreward, this led to a much more in-depth and richer translation. Elie Wiesel is an Auschwitz survivor, and Night is the story of his survival, as well as the guilt he felt and how his faith was shaken as the survivor. Bev warns that this is not (as you may imagine) a light read – in fact, at times is downright horrific – but one that is well worth the time and effort, and once you start, you cannot put it down.

Virginia’s Verisimilitude

Virginia is a newbie to the book club, but in addition to her sweet disposition, lively contribution (not to mention her imposing height), she would be invited back by virtue of her hummus alone! Virginia’s first contribution was Montana 1948, by Larry Watson. This is told from the eyes of 12 year old protagonist about his lawyer father taking over as the town sheriff, after his grandfather retires. As the protagonist’s Sioux caretaker falls ill, and refuses to be treated by the town doctor (the boy’s uncle and sheriff’s brother), secrets are revealed that lead to a conflict between justice and family. Virginia hasn’t really read much that takes place in the West, and was drawn to the descriptions of the big, open spaces, and the characters that inhabit them. She said this reads almost like a memoir, but really delves into whether the secrets that exist within a family should be revealed and the consequences of them.

Virginia then discussed a book that she picked up while stranded for much longer than anticipated in the airport in Bologna, because a) it was one of the few in English, and b) it possessed sufficient heft to provide hours and hours of entertainment for the long wait and flights ahead of them. The book was The Blind Assassin, by Margaret Atwood. The book is about two sisters, one of whom dies within the opening pages. The dead sister wrote a novel (the eponymous Blind Assassin), and her novel is interspersed throughout the book. A reviewer called this ‘a parable within a novella within a journal within a novel’, and as Virginia states, the chapters are drawn from present day for the story, to post WWII, to chapters from the dead sister’s novel, and yet are interwoven gracefully. There are a number of characters, so Virginia took it upon herself to draw a character map and offered it to anyone who wished to borrow the novel. Overall, Virginia liked the book, but said it didn’t knock her socks off. A good read if you’re looking for something to occupy your time on a plane, or stranded with an astronomer in the Bologna airport (even if said astronomer is her husband).

Kay’s Kincob

Kay brought one of her best-loved books to the IBC, although she read it many years ago. God Is an Englishman, by R.F. Delderfield chronicles the life of a British Army Officer who struggles to make his fortune in Victorian society. The story follows him from his days as a young officer in India and Crimea to falling in love with a rich industrialist’s daughter who is betrothed to another. He struggles to establish himself creating a hauling company, competing with the railroads. The love story propels this book (in a ‘non-Nora Roberts’ way, according to Kay) and adds to the beauty of this book. God Is an Englishman is actually the first of three books about this character, the other two being Theirs Was the Kingdom and Give Us This Day. Kay read this long ago, but remembers it as being one of the best books she’s ever read.

Darin’s Dissertation

Darin came to the meeting as a reader of predominantly non-fiction and science fiction (as mentioned previously). His first offering was The Terrible Hours, by Peter Maas. The Terrible Hours is a non-fiction book set in the 1930s about Swede Momsen, developer of the Momsen Lung. Momsen was a submariner in the U.S. Navy and a pioneer in the field of underwater rescue. This book deals with not only Momsen’s work, but also his struggles with the bureaucracy of the Navy, and the first applications of his newly developed technology. The title of the book refers to the hours spent searching for and trying to rescue the crew of the Squalus, a submarine that sank in 1939 off the coast of New England. Darin thought this was a good story, and an enjoyable read, particularly for anyone who was in, or has an interest in the Navy. Overall, pretty good, not great.

Darin then began a lively discussion (for those of you who weren’t there and think book clubs are boring, you didn’t witness the fisticuffs that occurred over the definition of quality… only joking – we have a very pacifist book club. J ) on Zen and the Art of Motorcycle Maintenance (now subtitled as An Inquiry Into Values) by Robert Pirsig. As soon as Darin began discussing it, Laura noted that she was also going to discuss it, and Virginia chimed in that her copy was probably one of the originals, and was being held together by rubber bands. What followed then was kind of a ‘group presentation’ between Darin, Laura, Virginia and Brad, with the adjectives and invectives flying fast and furious (again, no invectives, really – we’re a fun-loving group). Rather than attempt to capture and accredit all of the wisdom that was flying around the room like children on triple sugar hot chocolates, ‘let me ‘splain… no – it will take too long – lemme sum up.’ As an aside, this is one of those books that I’ve been told I should read since I was a freshman in high school and have resisted - it was considered a ‘defining novel’ for the 1970’s, and according to Laura, qualifies as ‘historically relevant’ in that it defines or responds to the time in which it was written. For those that haven’t read it, it’s the biography/journal/travelogue of a protagonist who was a rhetoric teacher and philosopher, who thought too much and drove himself into an asylum, where he received shock therapy. Upon recovery, he embarks on a motorcycle journey with his son in an attempt to bond with him and live a ‘normal life’ Through the narrative the protagonist delves into the issues of Quality (with a capital ‘q’), bringing in ancient philosophies and tempered by the mysterious Phaedrus, the shadow of his former self. According to everyone who read it, this book can be a mental challenge at times, as some of the delvings and dissertations can go on and on, but everyone also agreed that it was well worth reading. The discussion alone may prompt me to seek out an old battered copy (for this seems to be a book that should not be read in a pristine condition), and see what I can learn about maintaining motorcycles.

Laura’s Logodaedaly

After the spirited discussion on Zen and the Art of Motorcycle Maintenance, Laura continued with two other books she had brought with her. The first book was Three Weeks With My Brother, by Nicholas Sparks and Micah Sparks. You may recognize Nicholas as the author of The Notebook and Message In a Bottle. This is a work of non-fiction, written as the Sparks brothers take a wandering trip around the world. Along the way, they discuss the events of their life, including tragedies, triumphs and the love of their family. Laura swears this is not a depressing book, and is full of insightful humor and the love that only a family brings. Highly recommended.

I had previously mentioned some traditions within the IBC – there are also books that we have collectively adopted and come up at just about every meeting (and in between), even if not everyone has read them. These include The Time Traveler’s Wife, The City of Ember and The People of Sparks (forget The Prophet of Not-So-Much), and Lamb. Laura and Colleen have made a strong argument for the next book Laura discussed to join – Middlesex, by Jeffrey Eugenides. Middlesex is the story of a hermaphrodite, Cal, who traces her (? His?) family history back to the origins of the condition – incest in a small Greek village a couple of generations prior. Just on the description alone, it sounds like a tough sell, but according to both Laura and Colleen, the author manages to get you invested in the characters, without judgment. As the family history and lore is traced through Greece and Turkey to the present day of the novel, you are swept up in the story. The descriptions that Laura and Colleen used included, ‘Beautifully written’, ‘fun storytelling’, and ‘unbearably human’. This is the 2nd book club in a row that this has come up – Bev has borrowed Laura’s copy, and this is now on my must-read list… could it be that we have a new addition to the IBC Hall of Fame in the works?


Brad’s Bibliognostics

Brad’s offering to his introductory meeting was The King Must Die, by Mary Renault. This book is a retelling of the myth of Theseus, the Greek prince who slayed the minotaur in the labyrinth of Crete (as an aside, Brad felt for sure that he would have the most historical fiction, in that it occurred the longest ago, but Noah trumps Ancient Greece – ha!). For those not interested in spoilers, Brad offered one up, and I’ll reproduce it here – so cover your ears… it all ends in tragedy (as Brad pointed out, that’s what the Greeks tended to do). The book offered not only a logical retelling of the myth, stripping out the supernatural (which was especially appealing to Brad’s scientist’s sensibilities – as he pointed out, a bull and a human could never mate… wrong number of chromosomes. I’ll take Brad’s word for it), yet leaving some of it ambiguous enough to retain the elements of mythology, it also offered kind of a primer on leadership. The title comes from the prevailing attitude toward leadership in that time (especially when there are vengeful gods around) that a leader or king must be willing to sacrifice themselves to the gods for their people. Theseus understood and embraced this, but also showed other elements of leadership, such as recognizing talents and weaknesses of his subordinates and motivation. Overall, Brad enjoyed the book and recommends it for anyone who has studied or is a fan of Greek mythology. It does kind of bog down in the middle, however – as Renault covers every little adventure of Theseus leading up to his defining moments, but worth a read, nonetheless.


Lee’s Lexis

Lee picked up a book called Stones from the River, by Ursula Hegi, without really knowing what it was about. When she found out that it was about a dwarf living in Germany during the Holocaust, she was a little put off, but having two weeks of vacation approaching in Argentina, she tackled it. Lee really liked the book, but warned that it’s not an easy book to read – an Amazon reviewer called it a ‘nightmare journey with an unforgettable guide.’ This has also been favorably compared to The Tin Drum, a disturbing book and even more disturbing movie (that I saw years ago, and some of the imagery still haunts me), yet considered a classic, with a similar subject matter. As she was in Argentina while reading it, the book provided a catalyst for conversations with locals about the link between Argentina and the fleeing Nazis. Lee recommends the book with a warning – it’s not light reading.

Colleen’s Coterie

Colleen wrapped up the third meeting of the IBC with her review of two books. First up was a book Colleen characterized as ‘bubblegum fiction’. The book Younger, by Pamela Redmond Satran is the story of a woman in her mid-40s who quit her career when she had children, whose husband left her, whose daughter blamed her for her husband leaving her and whose life is basically in a downward spiral. But with a new haircut, a new job (in the same place she quit her career, in a more junior position), and a new boyfriend 20 years her junior, she has several new adventures. Colleen really enjoyed Younger, and recommended it as a great beach read.

Colleen’s second choice was not so light-hearted. The Inner Circle, by T.C. Boyle is a fictional telling of the work of Alfred Kinsey, the sex researcher of the 1940s and 50s, told from the point of view of one of his ‘disciples’, a graduate assistant. Boyle presents Kinsey as a somewhat megalomaniacal genius, who develops an almost cultish following amongst his assistants and researchers, and their families. Kinsey’s theories and studies centered around the concept that sexual behavior in humans was merely an animalistic response, and he set about proving this by using and manipulating the histories of his family, his graduate students, their spouses, and so forth. And this is where Colleen had a problem with this book. She felt it was very well written, even if Boyle does have a tendency to be somewhat sesquipedalian (sorry, couldn’t resist!). The storyline was entertaining – but Colleen had a very strong dislike for some of the characters, Kinsey in particular. As she read the book, she found herself becoming angry at some of his machinations, and therefore had a hard time getting through portions of the book. She was glad she read it, however, and does recommend it – so I’m gonna give it a shot. Having seen Liam Neeson’s portrayal of Kinsey in the eponymous movie, I’m curious to see how Boyle’s Kinsey differs.

And with that, we wrapped it up with our usual book exchange, with a twist. Bev had brought along release kits for bookcrossing.com (www.bookcrossing.com). So some of the IBC books are gonna try to make it out there on their own! Also, afterwards, Laura forwarded information on paperbackswap.com (www.paperbackswap.com) – be sure to check out their section on Katrina relief efforts.

The next meeting will be held in early October, shooting for the first or second weekend. The topic for that meeting is Sci-Fi/Fantasy. Again, the topic is a loose one – Harry Potter, Lord of the Rings, Narnia all qualify. A couple of people had asked for recommendations – for purely sci-fi, anything by Robert Heinlein (A Stranger in a Strange Land, I Will Fear No Evil, Time Enough for Love are some of my favorites) is very accessible and enjoyable – Heinlein not only wrote about scientific and technical advances, but how they impacted future society. Isaac Asimov and Arthur C. Clarke are a little more hardcore science fiction, and I haven’t read many of the newer authors. In addition to the fantasy compendiums mentioned previously, David Eddings wrote a very enjoyable LOTR knockoff (actually two) called the Belgariad and the Mallorean. Terry Goodkind’s Sword of Truth series is very enjoyable, and for light-hearted fare, pick up anything by Terry Pratchett. If you want something that is more in keeping with this meeting, Neal Stephenson’s Cryptonomicon is an excellent read, jumping between WWII cryptography, and today’s data privacy issues. And along the more literary front (but still qualifying), Michael Cunningham’s Specimen Days is a fascinating novel, actually made up of three novellas using the same characters – one set in the New York during the Industrial Revolution, the second set in present day, and the third in a strange, post-apocalyptic future. But, as always, our topics are very loose, and one could argue that any fiction is someone’s fantasy…

So, until the next meeting, happy reading! It was great to have everyone participate, and hope everyone can make the next one! Looking for a host – it seems to work best at someone’s house. Anyone care to volunteer? The book tracker follows.

Dave


Name Books Borrowed from
Bev Middlesex Laura

Colleen The Blind Assasin Virginia

Darin Marley & Me Bev
Running Out of Time

Kay The Preservationist Dave

Lee Night Bev

Virginia 3 Weeks w/ My Brother Laura
Younger Colleen

Dave God Is an Englishman Kay