ode+to+bookclub+2007

Our bookclub is completing our tenth season. That alone has provided a reason To take a walk down memory lane And say ‘thanks’ for our collective gain,
 * Ode to Bookclub **
 * On the Occasion of our Ten Year Anniversary **

To grand destinations around the world we did embark. Early on, //The Poisonwood Bible// took us to a continent most dark. Colonial Africa revealed how //Things Fall Apart,// which was quite tragic, while in England Harry Potter offered up his own brand of Hogwart’s magic // (The Philosopher’s Stone) //. We visited Harry again on platform nine and three quarters // (The Goblet of Fire). // We experienced a Germany plagued by Hitler’s orders // (Stones from the River & Those Who Save Us), // while Michael Ondatje took us across several borders // (The English Patient & Anil’s Ghost). // Then there were the books that took place in Sri Lanka (Ondatje’s //Running in the Family &// Selvaduri’s //The Cinnamon Gardens)// And //The Garden of Good and Evil// was set in Savannah, We’ve gone to Italy for //The DaVinci Code// & //The Birth of Venus// Some of us have even gone to the Academia in Florence to see David’s… (Ask Vicki if you can see her bookmark from Florence). J We went to Afghanistan with //The Swallows of Kabul//, //A Thousand Splendid Suns// and //The Kite Runner,// and achieved //Atonement// in one form or another. We spent time in India with the //God of Small Things,// and //A Fine Balance// tugged at our heart strings.

We’ve transcended time with //The Time Traveler’s Wife// And //The// //Outlander,// which caused some strife! We have discovered //A Cure for Death by Lightning,// And a book by Stephen King that was quite frightening // (The Girl Who Loved Tom Gordon). // The natural world could not stop us either // (The Weathermakers). // We experienced enough cold to give us a fever // (Cold Mountain, Cold Water & Snow Falling on Cedars). // Pi (//The Life of Pi,)// took us for a rolling adventure upon the high seas. And clearly, we couldn’t get enough about **Bees,** (//Bee Season, A Recipe for Bees or// The //Secret Life of Bees// ) And who could forget Frances from //Fall On Your Knees//?

The immigrant stories just made us mourn // (In the Skin of the Lion), // And poor little Frankie in //Angela’s Ashes// was just forlorn. // The House of Sand and Fog // showed lives left in tatters. Over and over again we saw how much //Family Matters// // (The Lovely Bones & The Corrections // ). Whether love was found in old age //(Love in the Time of Cholera//), or with a first kiss (//To A Fine Daughter),// It just couldn’t match the dreamy Mr. Darcy in the classic, //Pride and Prejudice// (//Bridget Jones’ Diary, The Edge of Reason, Jane Austen Book Club & Shield’s bio.//)//.// In //Pilgrim//, we discovered a man who just would not die, And a husband stealer in //The Robber Bride// who made all the wives cry.

There were many more amazing women of varying kinds, // (* see below) // And several sisters all with great minds (//The Aguerro Sisters), (The Other Boleyn Girl), (Clara Callan) & (Animal Dreams).// In //The Stone Carvers,// Klara found a sense of peace and for the wife in //Deafening,// all noise did cease.

As for //Stupid White Men,// we’ve met lots of those… including Larry (//Larry’s Party//) and Henry VIII in his leder-hose (//The Other Boleyn Girl).// We met an interesting autistic boy who loved his neighbour’s dog // (The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-Time), // and in //Oryx and Crake// we met a man/hog.

Speaking of Atwood, we’ve read all of her new releases, (//Alias Grace, The Blind Assassin// & //Moral Disorder// and others mentioned above//),// and interest in her writing just never ceases. // On the Occasion of My Last Afternoon // was simply the reason. And, finally, //Birth House// is our very last book of this season.

We’ve enjoyed intrigue and adventure in fiction and fictional histories, and even in several P.D. James’ mysteries. There are approximately 70 books mentioned above. Forgive me if I’ve forgotten one that you love.

Ten years have flown by in the //Blink// of an eye Let’s hope for many great new books to try. We have told //Open Secrets// and //I Know This Much Is True//. It’s a privilege to be in a bookclub with the likes of all of you! J // *(Girl with a Pearl Earring, Polished Hoe, Stone Diaries, A Complicated Kindness, The Dollmaker, Unless, Memoirs of a Geisha, Rush Home Road & The Way the Crow Flies) //