March 2, 2023
Marcellus Township Wood Memorial Library
Book Club Meeting Minutes
March 2, 2023
The Marcellus Township Wood Memorial Library Book Club met at the Library on March 2, 2023, from 12 Noon to 1:00 PM. We shared light refreshments in front of the fireplace and enjoyed discussing a variety of books read by the members that month.
Vacuuming in the Nude by Peggy Rowe (available as book in library and on Overdrive as e-book)
“Peggy Rowe has been writing all of her adult life. In fact, she doesn’t know how not to write—even through those years of constant rejection from publishing houses. But between her tenacity and the encouragement of her family, Peggy’s breakthrough finally came—at the age of eighty! Vacuuming in the Nude is most likely her funniest prose to date as she shares her journey of attending myriad writers’ conferences and honing her ability to see humor in everyday situations. From the family’s beloved dog Shim, who thrived on piles of fresh, warm manure from the horse pasture—to vacationing on the sweltering beach with mosquitos the size of dune buggies—to the challenges of aging, Peggy Rowe delivers a hilarious array of stories that reflect her addiction to making people laugh. Even in her cancer support group, she manages to use her humor to affect others for the good. If Peggy isn’t putting her publisher on hold to finish a game of Mahjongg, she’s at her kitchen table window-on-the-world taking notes for the next story for fans old and new to enjoy.” (https://www.simonandschuster.com/books/Vacuuming-in-the-Nude/Peggy-Rowe/9781637630990)
The patron sharing her perspectives about this book told the group that Ms. Rowe has been writing all of her life but had just began publishing her works recently. She had been trying to publish for many years, and eventually, her son, Mike Rowe of the TV show Dirty Jobs fame, paid for and advertised copies of her book on e-bay and this launched her published works career. Mike commented that his mother used an interview style of communication even with her own children and that she always had a great sense of humor. The patron found the writer’s propensity to find humor in everyday life experiences wonderful and the fact that Ms. Rowe has now published three books in her eighth decade amazing. The author’s description of a gathering of her friends for a dinner party paralleled the patron’s upcoming gathering in terms of humorous experiences.
Fast Girls by Elise Hooper (available through MeLCat as book, large print book, and audiobook
“Acclaimed author Elise Hooper explores the gripping, real life history of female athletes, members of the first integrated women’s Olympic team, and their journeys to the 1936 summer games in Berlin, Nazi Germany. Perfect for readers who love untold stories of amazing women, such as The Only Woman in the Room, Hidden Figures, and The Lost Girls of Paris. In the 1928 Olympics, Chicago’s Betty Robinson competes as a member of the first-ever women’s delegation in track and field. Destined for further glory, she returns home feted as America’s Golden Girl until a nearly-fatal airplane crash threatens to end everything. Outside of Boston, Louise Stokes, one of the few black girls in her town, sees competing as an opportunity to overcome the limitations placed on her. Eager to prove that she has what it takes to be a champion, she risks everything to join the Olympic team. From Missouri, Helen Stephens, awkward, tomboyish, and poor, is considered an outcast by her schoolmates, but she dreams of escaping the hardships of her farm life through athletic success. Her aspirations appear impossible until a chance encounter changes her life. These three athletes will join with others to defy society’s expectations of what women can achieve. As tensions bring the United States and Europe closer and closer to the brink of war, Betty, Louise, and Helen must fight for the chance to compete as the fastest women in the world amidst the pomp and pageantry of the Nazi-sponsored 1936 Olympics in Berlin.” (https://www.amazon.com/Fast-Girls-Elise-Hooper/dp/0062937995)
The patron discussing this book described the focus of the book as women running track and determined to do this despite significant obstacles—no teams, no team clothing, racial issues, lack of funding and sponsors, and more. The rise of Hitler and the backdrop of the Olympics being held in Germany at the time is also fascinating. The perseverance of these women as described by the book’s author is inspiring.
Braiding Sweetgrass by Robin Wall Kimmerer (available as adult and young adult book versions in library and as adult and young adult Overdrive e-books)
“As a botanist, Robin Wall Kimmerer has been trained to ask questions of nature with the tools of science. As a member of the Citizen Potawatomi Nation, she embraces the notion that plants and animals are our oldest teachers. In Braiding Sweetgrass, Kimmerer brings these lenses of knowledge together to show that the awakening of a wider ecological consciousness requires the acknowledgment and celebration of our reciprocal relationship with the rest of the living world. For only when we can hear the languages of other beings are we capable of understanding the generosity of the earth, and learning to give our own gifts in return.” (https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/17465709-braiding-sweetgrass)
The patron describing this book told the group that the young adult version is more easily understood than the adult version. The author is Native American and often takes students on road trips to the mountains so that they can immerse themselves in nature. She is an excellent story teller. Several patrons indicated that they have sweetgrass planted in their gardens.
We the Jury by Robert Rotstein (available as book and audiobook through MeLCat)
“On the day before his twenty-first wedding anniversary, David Sullinger buried an ax in his wife's skull. Now, eight jurors must retire to the deliberation room and decide whether David committed premeditated murder-or whether he was a battered spouse who killed his wife in self-defense. Told from the perspective of over a dozen participants in a murder trial, We, the Jury examines how public perception can mask the ghastliest nightmares. As the jurors stagger toward a verdict, they must sift through contradictory testimony from the Sullingers' children, who disagree on which parent was Satan; sort out conflicting allegations of severe physical abuse, adultery, and incest; and overcome personal animosities and biases that threaten a fair and just verdict. Ultimately, the central figures in We, the Jury must navigate the blurred boundaries between bias and objectivity, fiction and truth.” (http://www.the-bookreview.com/2019/05/we-jury-by-robert-rotstein-feature-and.html)
The patron sharing her experience with this book told the group that she listened to the audiobook version. The audiobook includes a different narrator for each character which made for a more interesting listening experience. Although some characters are named, the Trial Judge, for example, none of the jurors are named and are instead referred to by their occupations or roles such as “the clergyman,” “the express messenger,” and “the housewife.” Each character brings his/her own life experiences, biases, and agendas to the jury room. The reader will learn by the end of the book if the jury members made the right decision for the right reasons—or not.
Essentialism: The Disciplined Pursuit of Less by Greg McKeown (available as book and audiobook through MeLCat)
“Have you ever found yourself stretched too thin? Do you sometimes feel overworked and underutilized? Do you feel motion sickness instead of momentum? Does your day sometimes get hijacked by someone else’s agenda? Have you ever said “yes” simply to please and then resented it? If you answered yes to any of these, the way out is the Way of the Essentialist. The Way of the Essentialist involves doing less, but better, so you can make the highest possible contribution. The Way of the Essentialist isn’t about getting more done in less time. It’s not about getting less done. It’s about getting only the right things done. It’s about challenging the core assumption of ‘we can have it all’ and ‘I have to do everything’ and replacing it with the pursuit of ‘the right thing, in the right way, at the right time’. It’s about regaining control of our own choices about where to spend our time and energies instead of giving others implicit permission to choose for us. In Essentialism, Greg McKeown draws on experience and insight from working with the leaders of the most innovative companies in the world to show how to achieve the disciplined pursuit of less. By applying a more selective criteria for what is essential, the pursuit of less allows us to regain control of our own choices so we can channel our time, energy and effort into making the highest possible contribution toward the goals and activities that matter. Essentialism isn’t one more thing; it is a different way of doing everything. It is a discipline you apply constantly, effortlessly. Essentialism is a mindset; a way of life. It is an idea whose time has come.” (https://gregmckeown.com/books/essentialism/)
The patron discussing this book indicated that the author asks the reader to define his/her priorities and to decide if he/she wants to do everything but perhaps not well or if the reader wants to do some things very well. We must set our own priorities using criteria we select to define what is essential to us.
Effortless: Make It Easier to Do What Matters by Greg McKeown (available as a Overdrive audiobook and as a book through MeLCat)
“Is there a goal you want to make progress on, if only you had the energy? Do you assume that anything worth doing must take tremendous effort? Have you ever abandoned a hard but important activity for an easy but trivial one? Are you often overwhelmed by the complexity that's expanding everywhere?
If you answered "yes" to any of these questions, you might be making life much harder for yourself than it needs to be. In the New York Times bestseller Essentialism, Greg McKeown urged readers to eliminate nonessential activities and focus on the few that truly matter. He's since talked with thousands of readers about the challenges they face in putting those ideas into practice. The problem, he's found, is that the complexity of modern life has created a false dichotomy between things that are "essential and hard," and things that are "easy and trivial." But what if the trivial tasks became harder and the essential ones became easier? If the important projects became enjoyable, while the trivial distractions lost their appeal entirely? In Effortless, McKeown offers proven strategies for making the most important activities the easiest ones. For example:
- Streamline your process by mapping out the minimum number of steps.
- Prevent problems later by solving them before they happen.
- Let Go of perfectionism by finding the "courage to be rubbish."
- Accelerate your learning by leveraging the best of what others know.
By making the toughest tasks just a little bit easier, we can accomplish more of what matters, without burning out.” (https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/54895700-effortless)
The same patron read both books by this author (the book above and this one). This book teaches the reader not to spread him or herself too thin and to focus on what is truly important.
Milkman by Anna Burns (available as a book in library)
“In an unnamed city, middle sister stands out for the wrong reasons. She reads while walking, for one. And she has been taking French night classes downtown. So when a local paramilitary known as the milkman begins pursuing her, she suddenly becomes “interesting,” the last thing she ever wanted to be. Despite middle sister’s attempts to avoid him―and to keep her mother from finding out about her maybe-boyfriend―rumors spread and the threat of violence lingers. Milkman is a story of the way inaction can have enormous repercussions, in a time when the wrong flag, wrong religion, or even a sunset can be subversive. Told with ferocious energy and sly, wicked humor, Milkman establishes Anna Burns as one of the most consequential voices of our day.” (https://www.amazon.com/Milkman-Novel-Anna-Burns/dp/1644450003)
The patron describing this book told the group that she found the book while completing a weeding process in the adult fiction section of the library and found the book to be a hidden gem. The book is somewhat difficult to get into because it does have lengthy sentences and few paragraph breaks. The book is set in Ireland in the 1970s and depicts an 18 year old woman who has a habit of reading while walking, leading the community to believe that she is strange. She is subsequently stalked by the leader of a paramilitary group. The book is a story of her coming of age and a description of a community controlled by fear. The patron recommended the book to the book club members.
The Splendor Before the Dark: A Novel of the Emperor Nero by Margaret George (available as a book and audiobook through MeLCat)
“With the beautiful and cunning Poppaea at his side, Nero Augustus commands the Roman empire, ushering in an unprecedented era of artistic and cultural splendor. Although he has yet to produce an heir, his power is unquestioned. But in the tenth year of his reign, a terrifying prophecy comes to pass and a fire engulfs Rome, reducing entire swaths of the city to rubble. Rumors of Nero’s complicity in the blaze start to sow unrest among the populace–and the politicians… For better or worse, Nero knows that his fate is now tied to Rome’s–and he vows to rebuild it as a city that will stun the world. But there are those who find his rampant quest for glory dangerous. Throughout the empire, false friends and spies conspire against him, not understanding what drives him to undertake the impossible. Nero will either survive and be the first in his family to escape the web of betrayals that is the Roman court, or be ensnared and remembered as the last radiance of the greatest dynasty the world had ever known.”(https://margaretgeorge.com/books/the-splendor-before-the-dark/description/)
The patron sharing her perspectives on this book told the group that the book covers 4 years in Nero’s life. Although fictionalized, the book’s author made every attempt to be historically accurate. The afterward of the book includes a great deal of information about the research the author completed while writing. The author does an admirable job of describing the background to Nero’s rule and that he was surrounded by people that he could not trust. The book includes genealogies as well as maps which enhance the reading experience.
The Confessions of Young Nero by Margaret George (available as a book and audiobook through MeLCat)
“Built on the backs of those who fell before it, Julius Caesar’s imperial dynasty is only as strong as the next person who seeks to control it. In the Roman Empire no one is safe from the sting of betrayal: man, woman—or child. As a boy, Nero’s royal heritage becomes a threat to his very life, first when the mad emperor Caligula tries to drown him, then when his great aunt attempts to secure her own son’s inheritance. Faced with shocking acts of treachery, young Nero is dealt a harsh lesson: it is better to be cruel than dead. While Nero idealizes the artistic and athletic principles of Greece, his very survival rests on his ability to navigate the sea of vipers that is Rome. The most lethal of all is his own mother, a cold-blooded woman whose singular goal is to control the empire. With cunning and poison, the obstacles fall one by one. But as Agrippina’s machinations earn her son a title he is both tempted and terrified to assume, Nero’s determination to escape her thrall will shape him into the man he was fated to become—an Emperor who became legendary. With impeccable research and captivating prose, The Confessions of Young Nero is the story of a boy’s ruthless ascension to the throne. Detailing his journey from innocent youth to infamous ruler, it is an epic tale of the lengths to which man will go in the ultimate quest for power and survival.” (https://www.amazon.com/Confessions-Young-Nero-Margaret-George/dp/0451473396)
The same patron read both of Margaret George’s books about Nero. She recommended both books to book club members.
All Things Cease to Appear by Elizabeth Brundage (available as book in library and as Overdrive e-book)
Brundage combines noir and the gothic in a novel about two families entwined in their own unhappiness with, at the center, a gruesome and unsolved murder. Late one winter afternoon in upstate New Your, George Clare comes home to find his wife murdered and their three-year-old daughter alone-for how many hours?—in her room down the hall. He had recently, begrudgingly, taken a position at the private college nearby teaching art history, and moved his family into this tight-knit, impoverished town. And he is the immediate suspect—the question of his guilt echoing in a story shot through with secrets both personal and professional. While his parents recue him from suspicion, a persistent cop is stymied at every turn in proving Clare, a heartless murderer. The pall of death is ongoing, and relentless; behind one crime are others, and more than twenty years will pass before a hard kind of justice is finally served. At once a classic “who-dun-it” that morphs into a “why-and-how-dun-it,” this is also a rich and complex portrait of a psychopath and a marriage, and an astute study of the various taints that can scar very different families, and even an entire community.” (https://elizabethbrundage.com/books/all-things-cease-to-appear/)
The patrons sharing her perspective about this book told the group that this is a story of a marriage that ends up with the wife being murdered with an ax. The reader slowly learns more about the marriage and the husband’s personality. Did he commit the murder? We’ll have to read the book to find out!
The next meeting of the Marcellus Township Wood Memorial Library Book Club will be held on April 6, 2023, from 12 NOON to 1:00 PM. We always have a great time sharing what we’ve read and look forward to seeing all of you again.
In the meantime, think about the following quote from Anne Lamott: “Writing and reading decrease our sense of isolation. They deepen and widen and expand our sense of life: They feed the soul. When writers make us shake our heads with the exactness of their prose and their truths, and even make us laugh about ourselves or life, our buoyancy is restored. We are given a shot at dancing with, or at least clapping along with, the absurdity of life, instead of being squashed by it over and over again. It’s like singing on a boat during a terrible storm at sea. You can’t stop the raging storm, but singing can change the hearts and spirits of the people who are together on that ship.”
