Year-End 2011

Dear Book Clubbers,

Whew, I would say that our co-ed meeting was a great one.  Although Catch 22 only scored between a 2.5 and 3, the variation in how people felt about the book and Chris’s well-prepared questions made for a fantastic discussion.  Apparently, if everyone in the group loves a book, there is less to disagree on…therefore less discussion.  I think we have discovered a reading group paradox.  Shall we name it the CRBC Catch 22?  Anyway, thanks to everyone who helped with food, drinks and clean up.  A special shout out to Chris for his thorough job in leading the discussion and to Paul B who showed up to help me Wednesday afternoon. 

In a close vote for next year’s co-ed book, Unbroken by Laura Hillenbrand was selected.  This book has been high on the bestseller lists for a year now.  Yes, it is another WWII book, but completely different in every way.

First up in 2012 is Cutting for Stone by Abraham Verghese, which is supposed to be an excellent read.  The meeting is now scheduled for Terry’s home at 7 PM on Wednesday, January 11^th.  Appetizer volunteers are Kathryn, Jen and Grace.  Sue, Ina, Linda and Pam will bring wine.  While scribbling notes, I wrote Marion under desserts and then the word “dessert” where I was supposed to fill in the second volunteer.  Hopefully, this mystery person remembers who they are.  See?  We are lost without Jill there to check my work!

The February (2/15) book is The Hunger Games.  Please don’t get turned off by reading a synopsis of this very popular young adult/adult book.  It is really, really good and should be a nice quick read for everyone.  We need a volunteer to host that night as well as for the March meeting.

In one final note, it has been brought to my attention by several people that we always seem to run out of white wine and have leftover red at the meetings.  Since we seem to mostly drink white (and I can bring some reds that didn’t get consumed last Wednesday), let’s concentrate on bringing whites to Terri’s.  We’ll have to work on our ratio for the future.  Incidentally, something like 17 or 18 bottles of wine went out in the recycling bin on Thursday AM.  Good for us!

Have great holidays!  I hope the gift of time with friends and family, good health and some excellent reads come your way this season.

Jan

October's Meeting

Dear Book Clubbers,

Wednesday’s meeting at Jill’s to discuss Frankenstein was a tremendous success.  We rated the book a 3.65 overall, with those attending somewhat falling mainly into two groups: those who enjoyed Mary Shelley’s writing style and those who found it verbose and bombastic.  As usual, this disparity of opinion gave rise to some great discussion, as did Jill’s thorough research and preparation.  Karla proposed a totally different interpretation of the book which had us all really thinking and some even contemplating a second read with her hypothesis in mind.  Fascinating stuff.  Many thanks to Jill and all who brought stuff to the evening.

Our next meeting is at 6:30 on Wednesday, November 30th at our house.  This is the co-ed meeting so we will shoot for everyone bringing something in the way of a substantial appetizer or dessert since we try to make this a decent finger food dinner for those attending.  Wine is always good too.  The book is Catch-22 by Joseph Heller and Chris Strong will be leading the discussion.  A sheet was passed around Wednesday night.  If you signed up for something, that serves as your RSVP.  If not, please e-mail me or call to let me know what you want to bring.  I am having rotator cuff surgery on November 8th, so Rob may be reaching out for some set up and tear down help once we know how I am doing.  Please refer to the newsletter from September 8th or to the blog to view the books being considered for the 2012 co-ed selection.  Of course, the guys are always welcome to add their own suggestions to the mix.

Other upcoming events include the Craneridge Family Halloween Party on Saturday, October 29th.  The plan is to meet at the mail center at 5 PM for a parade around the neighborhood followed by pizza, games and crafts at the pool shelter.  All are welcome…those with kids, those without, grandparents, etc.  Just please try to sign the sheet at the mail center so that the organizers have a rough head count.

On Halloween night (10/31), Rob and I will again open our home for anyone to stop in.  Make it the last stop with your kids and come in for warming beverages and snacks.  If you don’t get any trick or treaters at your house and just want to come to our house to see kids there or simply hang out, come with a snack or beverage to share anytime after 6 PM.  Please pass the word on to other neighbors who aren’t in book club.  All are welcome.

Katherine Orrange requested that those of us on Facebook “friend” the Craneridge Association.  The board is hoping this can become a viable way to get communications out to people in a pinch.

The Daffodil Bulb Planting event that was scheduled for 10/15 got a little washed out.  Contact Shirley Skinner ASAP if you can help out planting bulbs in common areas around the neighborhood and around your own home.

Beth Roy has a bread maker that is free to a good home.  The appliance is in great condition.  Beth has just gotten into doing all her bread dough prep with her own hands and would love to see someone take advantage of this modern convenience…and get it out of her way.

The Craneridge Holiday party is pretty definitely set for December 3rd at the Hearth Restaurant in Chaffee.  Save the date and stay tuned for further details.

We chose the next two books and the next three dates for 2012.  Remember we are going to try scheduling meetings monthly to get more books read with the caveat that many of us will sometimes skip a book because it either didn’t grab us or we didn’t have time for it.  This is something we decided at the selection night to try.  Let’s see how it works for the beginning of the year.  We will attempt to vary our book selections so that any lengthier reads are followed by short books whenever possible.  The upcoming dates include:

  January 11th – Cutting for Stone by Abraham Verghese – Elizabeth Strong’s house
  February 15th – The Hunger Games by Suzanne Collins – hostess to be determined
  March 14th – book to be determined – Terri’s house
 
I think that is all the news and business.  Seems there was a lot to say this month.  Don’t forget that if you have general announcements, you can send them out directly to our members and eliminate me as the middleman who isn’t always timely in getting to things :)!

Read on,
Jan

September's meeting

Dear Book Clubbers,

Last week’s meeting at Marilyn’s to discuss The Thousand Autumns of Jacob De Zoet was a small, but spirited gathering.  Although there were only eight of us, Jen led a great discussion of this interesting book depicting a historical period and region that we had not experienced through previous club selections.  I think the overall rating was somewhere around a 3.5, with most of us glad that we had read it.  One thing we all seemed to agree on was that David Mitchell was a tremendously skilled writer, weaving a well-crafted story.  Thanks go out to Marilyn and Jen for doing such a great job.

The next meeting is at 7 PM on Wednesday, October 19th at Jill’s.  The selection is Frankenstein by Mary Shelley.  Jill has promised to do some side reading to enlighten us on the author herself, so it promises to be a very intriguing meeting.  Please let Jill know if you will be attending.  Because everyone who was at Marilyn’s brought something, we did not pick snack and wine volunteers for the October meeting.  Please consider offering to bring something when you call Jill.  It would be great if she could hear from people willing to bring food and wine ASAP so that she doesn’t have to figure those logistics out at the last minute.

Because of the small group and the close proximity to the book selection night, there wasn’t really any new business.  One interesting suggestion did arise out of our discussion of Jacob, however.  As we chatted about the book, most of us seemed to have a specific question that we wanted to ask the group.  In some cases it was a part we didn’t quite understand or something that we just wanted to hear the others’ opinions about.  The observation was made that one way we could ease the burden on the moderator and also make the discussions more meaningful to all of us, would be to have each of us consider, while reading, what they might like to ask the group.  The intent wouldn’t be to go around the room and systematically address those questions, but rather just to have additional input beyond the moderator’s perspective to broaden the range of our discussion.  Worth a try, right?

That’s all for now.  Hope everyone is enjoying these great fall days!

Jan

Planning Meeting: A Recap

Dear Book Clubbers,
Last night’s book selection meeting was a huge success.  Barb did a fantastic job of accommodating all of us even though it was too cold for the deck.  Thanks, Barb.  Appreciation also goes out to all who pitched in and brought yummies to the meeting and to those unable to attend who still took the time to send ideas along.

In new business, I pointed out that there is a drop box for paper recycling (every thing but cardboard) that is accessible 24/7 at the Colden Elementary School.  The volume of paper collected there somehow benefits the school a bit.  Grace added that there is a similar green and yellow box at Bertrand Chaffee Hospital.  Jill mentioned that there is a drop site for returnables at the Colden Fire Hall with those proceeds going to a local Boy Scout troop.  Please consider making your green efforts also help a local cause.

Stay tuned for a direct e-mail from Ina detailing some upcoming quilt shows and the liquidation sale of a fellow crafter’s inventory of fabric and beads.  Marion’s sewing machine is still available.  Jennifer advised us to stay alert next Thursday, September 15th, as there will be local painters setting up their easels to capture some Craneridge scenery on canvas.  How cool is that?

Lots of wonderful books were proposed last night.  We also included the two selections we didn’t get to last year, Sense and Sensibility and Left to Tell, in the voting process. 
     
Click here to see the full list of 2012 suggestions.

Last night we decided to try to shoot for one meeting a month after finishing out the fall on our usual schedule.  The suggestion was made and welcomed that we at least try for one book a month.  Obviously, not everybody can always read every selection, but the thinking was that this would allow us to get more books in.  If something doesn’t appeal to you or you don’t have time, you can skip one knowing another discussion is just around the corner.  In the next few weeks, I would appreciate hearing from those of you who have conflicts on a particular week of the month (i.e. the first Wednesday of the month), so that we can evaluate if having a consistent meeting week is worth attempting.

Speaking just of around the corner, we will meet at Marilyn’s at 7 PM on Wednesday, September 21st to discuss The Thousand Autumns of Jacob de Zoet.  Volunteers are: Jill and Kathryn for apps; Barb and me for desserts; and Carol, Terri, Jackie, Ina, Grace and Jen for wine.  If you are able to attend, please call Marilyn. 

After that, we will meet at Jill’s on Wednesday, October 19th to discuss Frankenstein by Mary Shelley.  Should be a great read to do around Halloween, and Jill has promised to educate us on the life of a woman writer during a time when there weren’t a lot of them!

The co-ed meeting will likely be November 30th, but your hosts (Rob and I) reserve the right to change that depending on what our Thanksgiving plans become.  We will let you know as soon as the date is firm.  The book is Catch-22 and hopefully, Chris Strong remembers that he is leading the discussion.

I hope those of you who weren’t able to make it last night will be as excited about our choices for the coming year as the rest of us are!  See you in two weeks.       
Jan

Planning for 2012

Hello Book Clubbers,

I am sure we are all trying to fully enjoy these last few weeks of summer.  As the days become shorter and the mornings become crisper, it is time to plan our year of reading choices.  The selection meeting for 2011-2012 is at 7 PM on Wednesday, September 7th at Barb Reed’s.  Please call her if you are able to attend.  I don’t recall (and neither does Jill) that we picked snack and wine volunteers for that night, so please let Barb know if you can bring something.

I am super hopeful that we will have an excellent turnout with lots of great book ideas that night.  Remember that our club’s success is a reflection of all of our input.  We need everybody to pitch in with suggestions for books (or ideas for improvements for that matter) so that we can have a great year ahead.

In case this is your first selection night or you forgot how it goes…members bring suggestions for one or two books that they think the club would enjoy reading and discussing.  (If you have a question regarding whether the club has already read a particular book, you can view our entire past on the blog)  We will go around the room and give a brief description of our proposals.  Please also bring something physical representing your suggestion.  This can be the book itself, a printed review (from Amazon for example) or even just a sheet of paper with the title, author and brief synopsis.  These items will then be laid out at Barb’s, and we will vote by putting chips on the ones we would each like to read.  The top vote getters will become our choice list for the coming year.  As we go around the room, we will also try to identify possible picks that might make good suggestions for the 2012 co-ed meeting that we will then propose for the guys to choose from at this year’s gathering.

You may also bring any books that you have finished and are willing to part with for our used book swap. 

Even if you have been thinking about it all summer and still don’t feel that you have a good book to propose, we still would like you there to help make our selections.  I can’t stress enough that the involvement of as many members as possible best assures good choices that we are all excited to read.  This meeting is also an excellent time to put forth any other ideas you have regarding our club.

That’s it for now.  Feel free to call or e-mail me with any questions or confusions.

Jan

July's Meeting

Dear Book Clubbers,

We had a spectacular summer night for our gathering last week on Jen’s deck to discuss The Forgotten Garden.  Jen did her usual super job of hostessing, making room for all of us as well as for the goodies everyone brought.  Jill led a lively discussion of what most agreed was a perfect choice for a summer read.  Overall we rated the book 3.7 and the evening 5.0!  Thanks again to Jen and Jill and a round of applause for the feast and fellowship we all put together.

Our next meeting, for the brave and ambitious tackling War and Peace, will be at 7 PM at Linda’s on August 17th.   Please contact Linda to let her know that you are coming.  We also need some snack and wine volunteers for that evening.

After that we will have our yearly selection meeting on Wednesday, September 7th at Barb’s.  Start time is 7 PM, and we are hoping it will still be warm enough to be out on her deck that night.  Remember our choices for the year depend on your valued input at this meeting.  Bring one or two suggestions and please be prepared to give a brief summary to the group.  In addition, please bring the book itself, a review or summary from the Internet, or at least a piece of paper with the title and author that we can lay out for the voting.  This will also be our book exchange night, so plan on bringing any books that you wish to trade away.  We will need snack and wine volunteers for that night.  Sorry that we forgot to do that last week.  I am thinking that if we expect a healthy turn out, we should aim for 5 appetizers, 3 desserts and wine.  Please call Barb to let her know that you will be attending and to volunteer if possible.  We are really hoping for a bumper crop of good choices for the upcoming year, so please be a contributing part of this process.

Two weeks later, on September 21st, we will gather at Marilyn’s to discuss The Thousand Autumns of Jacob de Zoet by David Mitchell.  This book has been on our list for a long time and I think we are all eager to finally see what it is about.  We are told that it looks hefty, but reads quickly.  We have 2 months at this point…assuming you have finished War and Peace (ha, ha!).  The current Amazon price for this book in paperback is $9.28 if anyone wants me to order a copy for her.

I think that is all for now.  In the process of discussing our first book for the fall, I heard some other intriguing suggestions during the meeting and after.  I look forward to hearing more about those at the selection meeting and enthusiastically anticipate that we can come up with a blockbuster reading list for 2011-2012.

Stay cool by reading…
Jan

Mark your calendars

Hello all!
In case you're filling your calendars the rest of your summer (and into fall) - here are some important Wednesday nights to keep in mind:

August 17th - Discussion of Tolstoy's War & Peace at Linda's

September 7th - 2012 Selection Meeting at Barb's - Bring your reading wish list with you (the more books the better)!!


September 21st - Book Club meeting to discuss 1000 Autumns of Jacob de Zoet at Marilyn's

May's Meeting

Dear Book Clubbers,

Last week’s discussion of The Immortal Life of Henrietta Lacks proved very interesting.  Ina did a super job of hostessing and leading what ended up being a lively discussion.  Ratings were all over the board, with an average of 3.7ish, but as usual, the wide disparity of opinions kept things hopping.  Thanks Ina!

In an effort to lighten things up for the summer meeting (July 20th), we chose The Forgotten Garden by Kate Morton.  Follow this Amazon link to read more about it.  It is described as a little Secret Garden like, part mystery, a little love story, with a fairy tale tone about it.  Sounds very readable, but it is a little longish, so get cracking.  We will meet on Jennifer’s deck at our usual 6:30 PM summer meeting time.  We will all bring a substantial appetizer, wine or dessert to share so that we can make a meal out of this gathering.  If you signed up on the food sheet last week, you need contact Jen only if you cannot make it after all.  Those who weren’t there should RSVP to her to find out what you should bring.  I can order the paperback on Amazon for $8.55 for anyone who needs a copy.

For those who are tackling War and Peace, don’t forget that August 17th is going to come up fast now that summer is here.

In other announcements, Barb is organizing a water aerobics class at the pool this summer.  Anyone interested should meet at the pool on Tuesday, June 7th at 10:00 AM.  Call Barb if you have questions.

Ina handed out the schedule for the “4th Fridays at the Tri-Main” featuring open galleries and artists studios.  Upcoming Friday dates are June 24, July 22 and August 26.  Refer to the link in last month’s newsletter or talk to Ina for details.  Ina is also involved in Whisker Fest 2011, a two-day event on July 30-31 at the Hayloft in the Grove in East Aurora to benefit the Buffalo Paws and Claws Animal Shelter.  Go to www.bpcanimalrescue.com for info about the organization and this event.

Most importantly, don’t forget to attend the Craneridge budget vote meeting on Saturday, June 18th at 10 AM at the pool shelter.  If you cannot be there in person, be sure to hand in an absentee ballot.

We decided that in addition to getting announcements for the business meeting to me ahead of time, it would make things easier if I also got a little e-mail blurb with details so that I didn’t have to remember all the facts when I compose this newsletter.  We will try to limit these coming events blurbs to items directly involving our members or the Craneridge community.

We have been missing some of you the last couple of months and hope to see a bunch of people back at the summer meeting.

Jan

Dear Book Clubbers,

Wednesday’s meeting to discuss Sarah’s Key was a great time.  Although the book obviously dealt with a very difficult subject, we rated it 4 stars across the board.  All in attendance got a tremendous amount out of reading it.  I think it missed getting 4.5 or 5 stars only because we seem to have become more discerning in our rating system!  Sue K. did a terrific job leading the discussion and being our hostess.  Thanks Sue!

Our next book is The Immortal Life of Henrietta Lacks by Rebecca Skloot.  We will meet at 7 PM at Ina’s on Wednesday, May 25^th.  Snack volunteers for that night are Sue K, Sue P and Shirley for appetizers, Beth for dessert, Linda for red wine and Marilyn and Jen for white wine.  If anyone wants me to order a book for them, the paperback is currently $8.24 on Amazon.

At that meeting, we will discuss what to read for our summer meeting in July.  We are looking for a somewhat lighter or unusual selection.  There are a few Buffalo area memoirs under consideration, which may be interesting, especially if we can snag one of the authors.  Keep your thinking caps on for something to fit the bill for the summer. 

The long classic effort of War and Peace is all set for Linda’s house on August 17^th.  For those of you who want advice on which translation to read, many of us are tackling the one by Richard Pevear and Larissa Volokhonsky.  The paperback edition is available for $12.24 at Amazon and the Kindle edition recently dropped to $8.99.

For new business, we have upcoming event announcements for two of the artistic members of our group.  Look for a separate e-mail forwarded by me regarding Emily’s long awaited return to a dancing performance after her broken foot.  Ina’s unique creations are on exhibit as part of the Fiber Arts Incentive at the Impact Artists Gallery through April 30^th.  In addition, beginning this Friday, April 22  and on the 4th Friday of every month until Dec. 23,.2011 there will be open galleries and studios throughout the building so you can meet working artists, sign up for workshops, and attend special events. The hours for this are 4 to 8 pm.  Admission and parking are free.  Go to http://impactartist.wordpress.com/category/fiber-art/ or contact Ina for more information on the gallery’s location and the exhibit hours. 

In addition Terry reminded us that the Craneridge Caring Tree is not just about lending tangible support by cooking meals, running errands, etc. for community members who are in need of help.  We should remember that emotional support and companionship are also helpful for people who are confined to their homes or facing a difficult time.  Please consider a gift of your time and company when you hear of someone who might enjoy it.  If you would like further details about this thread of our discussion, contact Terry.

Guess that’s the scoop for the moment except to say that I was thrilled to be back after having had to miss a couple meetings in a row.

Jan

March 2011

Hi Book Clubbers,

Terry made us all feel welcome at our meeting Wednesday night and Jackie did a great job of leading the discussion.  "A Reliable Wife"  got a rating of 2.9.  Ratings ranged from 2 to 5 so you can imaging it was a very good discussion.  Those giving it higher ratings convinced us it was well written and carried a message.  Those giving it lower points, felt it was "supersexed" (Liz's word) and dark.

"Sarah's Key" by Tatiana de Rosnay was chosen for the April 13th meeting at Sue Kellner's. Please call her if you are coming.  Liz, Jackie, and Terry will bring appetizers.  Carla, Grace, and Kathryn are signed up for wine and Marion will bring a dessert.  We agreed that with our crowd, appetizers are more popular.

Tolstoy's "War and Peace" was chosen for our long read.  This meeting is set for August 17th at Linda Hoffman's.  We felt that "The Immortal Life of Henrietta Laks" by Rebecca Skoot should be the choice for our next meeting. (May/June?)

News from our members:

Jennifer Parsons had foot surgery this week and seems to be covered for most needs but might enjoy some company during her long healing process. 

John Reed is coming along well after his foot surgery and may be driving soon but we all know that the caregiver suffers as much as the patient so Barb may need a few kinds words or calls.

Terry and Eric will host a St. Patrick's Day Party on March 19th at 7:00.  We are all invited.  Please bring a substantial appetizaer or a dessert and a beverage of your choice.  Sounds like  fun!

Loraine sent posters annoucing that the Silver Foxes Program at the Orchard Park Presbyterian Church will beging again in March. Poster is at the Mail Center telling of the programs.  Some of us have attended and really enjoyed both the food and the program.

Jan, thanks for all you did to prepare for these meetings.  We hope you can attend the next meeting and get us all straightened. out.  We miss you.  Also looking forward to all who have not made our winter meetings joining us in April.

Grace

January 2011

Hello Book Clubbers,
 It's currently 6-degrees outside (with a windchill of -10), so it seems like a good time to send a recap about the meeting from Wednesday night.  Despite the wintry weather, we had a very nice turn-out last week. 

The original plan for the evening was to split the group into two, but when it came to a vote, unanimously, everyone wanted to stick together.  Hotel on the Corner of Bitter and Sweet had us thinking about child-rearing practices/philosophies, race relations, comparing wars of the past with those of today, and much more.  From my perspective, it seemed like everyone had a chance to participate as much as they wanted - I hope I correct.  Overall, the group gave it a 4.2 rating.  Many thanks to Joan for hosting as well as facilitating the discussion along with Jennifer.

Our next meeting will be on Wednesday, March 2nd, 7pm at Terri Twichell's house when we will be reading A Reliable Wife by Robert Goolrick.  Volunteers for the night (and I hope I got these right, please correct me if I'm wrong) are:
  Appetizers:  Jennifer Parsons & Sue Payne
  Desserts:  Kathryn Orrange & Sue Kellner
  Wine:  Barb Reed & Lorraine Sherman
Please remember to RSVP to Terry if you will attend.

Finally, some announcements from the evening -
* Zumba is happening at the Colden Senior Center on Mondays & Wednesdays at 5pm with Deni Chambers.  Cost is approximately $7-8 per session.  All are welcome.

* The movie adaptation of Water for Elephants is coming out in April 2011, staring Robert Pattinson and Reese Witherspoon.

That's all for now.  Hope you're enjoying a nice warm day, maybe snuggled up with a good book.

Happy reading!
  Jill