That's a Wrap, 2025

It is December and the weather outside looks like mid-January today. Luckily this snow was just beginning yesterday when we trekked out to Jo's to talk about Fire Weather by John Vaillant. Maybe it was the weightiness of the idea of climate change that set us off but we went on to grapple with other great imponderables like what's so great about Finland, the current state of feminism, race, anxiety, and life itself. Thank you to Jo for making us feel truly welcome and comfortable. It was a wonderful afternoon for the last meeting of the year.

We made tentative plans for the beginning of a new year. What does everyone think about meeting for lunch together at the Duke of York pub near the St. George subway station? How about Friday January 9th? Check your calendar.

The book we chose for February is Pachinko by Min Jin Lee. This book is the basis for the television series on AppleTV+.  Saara will host on February 18th at noon. 

Books:

• There are Rivers in the Sky by Elif Shafak
• The Island of Missing Trees by Elif Shafak
• Pick a Colour by Souvankham Thammavongsa
• Pachinko by Min Jin Lee
• Better Now by Danielle Martin 

What to Watch: 

• Sisu - Netflix 
• Hamnet - in cinemas
• Rental Family - in cinemas
• Pachinko - AppleTV+ 

 

November

Susan Abulhawa wrote a heart-felt saga of a Palestinian family and the tragic legacy of conflict and grief. Mornings in Jenin blended fiction with the actual history of the monumental problem that festers in the Middle East. Though the subject was difficult, just being together in any circumstance is a pleasure that Lynda accented with a beautiful selection of delicacies. A memorable afternoon Lynda. Thank you!

Our next book is Fire Weather by John Vaillant. We will meet at Jo's on Tuesday, December 9th at noon to talk about it.

We talked about food and the idea of having prepared meals delivered fresh by FactorMeals and Summerhill Market. We learned about a remarkable holiday destination, Les Petits Cousins du Quebec in Dordogne France. Because sleep isn't always easy we shared ideas about slowing down our racing thoughts with meditation. Examples of apps for meditation were Plum Village and Insight. 

Notable Books: 

• There are Rivers in the Sky by Elif Safak 
• The Capital of Dreams by Heather O'Neill 
• Flesh by David Szalay 
• An Accidental Villain by Lyndon MacIntyre 
• That They May Face the Rising Sun by John McGahern 
• The Correspondent by Virginia Evans 
• We Will Not Be Saved a memoir of hope and resistance in the Amazon rainforest by Nemonte Nenquimo and Mitch Anderson 

 

The Relatives

 I'm so glad I live in a world where there are Octobers.  L.M. Montgomery 

 October trees decorated our drive to Jane's yesterday where we had a cozy afternoon with friends. We enjoyed soup and snacks and Jane outdid herself with a beautiful and decadent gluten-free chocolate cake. The Relatives was a well-chosen book that sparked thoughtful conversation about the unique challenges of modern families. 

We finally got to make some decisions about the next few months. Our next meeting will be at Lynda's on Wednesday, November 12 at 12 pm.  The book will be Mornings in Jenin by Susan Abulhawa. 

Then, on Tuesday, December 9 at 12 pm we will be at Jo's to talk about Fire Weather: the making of a beast by John Vaillant.  

Books: 

• Ordinary Grace by William Kent Krueger
• A Truce that is Not Peace by Miriam Toews
• Why Do I Write: You Might Not Like the Answer by Miriam Toews 
• The Correspondent by Virginia Evans
• Will There Ever Be Another You by Patricia Lockwood
• The Land in Winter by Andrew Miller
• The Rest of our Lives by Ben Markovits

 

Theft

Well, that was fun. It is always good to see each other. Thank you Wanda for dropping in via text. You missed a great discussion about Theft, a marvellous read. Tanzania may be an exotic location but we recognized the characters and their concerns, as well as the bigger issues of colonialism and the abuse of power. We also had some great laughs playing "guess which great film you need to see, with title, actors and every other helpful detail unremembered". Google was the big winner. 

Our next book club meeting will be on Wednesday, October  22nd when we will be at Jane's to discuss The Relatives by Camilla Gibb 

Books of Note: 

• By the sea by Abdulrazak Gurnah
• The Forgotten Home Child by Genevieve Graham
• The Day the World Went Silent by Donna Jones Alward
• Grace by Paul Lynch
• Ordinary grace by William Kent Kreuger

On Video:

• Heaven on Earth
• 1971 
•  Downton Abbey: The Grand Finale
• Sunday Best: The Untold Story of Ed Sullivan (Netflix)
• Bruce Springstein on Broadway (Netflix) 
• Hamnet
• All of Us Strangers
• The True Story of the Harry Quebert Affair
• Disclaimer
• The Girlfriend
• House of Cards
• The Big Lebowski

Two games of logic we are playing: Pips and Nonograms.

 

Here's the recipe for Best Almond Cake.  I recommend this recipe, except for the instruction to use a springform pan. I tried this and found that there was leakage. The next time I used a normal pan, and lined the bottom with a circle of parchment paper before spraying. There was. no issue releasing the cake from the pan. 

Say Nothing

Wanda's back garden was appealing to us readers on a perfect August afternoon, and also to many wasps. Ogden Nash said it: 

The wasp and all his numerous family
I look upon as a major calamity.
He throws open his nest with prodigality,
But I distrust his waspitality. 

We decided that it was much better to be inside enjoying reliable hospitality. The nibbles were perfect for us and we didn't have to fight wasps for each delicious bite. Thanks to Wanda for a lovely afternoon. Your poppyseed cake is truly marvellous. 

Say Nothing was a catalyst to thoughts about some of the world's thorny conflicts - a lively conversation about history and current events. 

Please remember that we will meet at my place on Tuesday September 23rd. The book will be Theft by Abdulrazak Gurnah. And on Wednesday, October  22nd we will be at Jane's to discuss The Relatives by Camilla Gibb. 

Books: 

• Mornings in Jenin by Susan Abdulhawa
• Grace by Paul Lynch
• The Adversary by Michael Crummey
• Intermezzo by Sally Rooney
• The Nightingale by Kristin Hannah
• When the World Fell Silent by Donna Alward 
• The Porpoise by Mark Haddon
• The Future by Catherine Leroux
• Embers: One Ojibway's Meditations by Richard Wagamese
• The Satisfaction Cafe by Kathy Wang
• The Correspondent by Virginia Evans
• The King of Ashes  by S.A.Cosby

Video: 

• Empathie (Crave/Prime)
• The Pitt (HBO)
• North of North (Netflix)
• The Truth about the Harry Quebert Affair (Prime)
• Sort of (Gem)
• Somebody Somewhere (HBO)
• Code of Silence (BritBox)
• Coda (Apple TV)

Summer in the City

 We met at Saara's on a perfect summer day. The sky was cloudless and the view reached to Lake Ontario and beyond.  Everyone expected a marvelous meal but Saara exceeded expectations with a very special shrimp salad and her scrumptious summer fruit pie (recipes are below). Besides basking in the hospitality, we also spent some time talking about our book, The Paris Express by Emma Donoghue.  

Our next book will be Say Nothing by Patrick Radden Keefe. The date is Wednesday, August 27th and we will meet at noon at Wanda's house. Watch the video version of Say Nothing on Disney+.

On Tuesday, September 23rd the meeting will be at my house (Marian) at noon again. The book will be Theft by Abdulrazak Gurnah.  

We also planned for October - Wednesday the 22nd, at noon. We will meet at Jane's and our book will be The Relatives by Camilla Gibb.  

Books of Note 

• H is for Hawk by Helen Macdonald
• Sweetness in the Belly by Camilla Gibb
• Empire of Pain by Patrick Radden Keefe
• Kairos by Jenny Erpenbeck
• Hope is a Woman's Name by Amal Elsana Alh'jooj
• The Warmth of Other Suns by Isabel Wilkerson
• Caste by Isabel Wilkerson
   

 

 

 

Hot Day in Port Hope

Since our last meeting, a few of us had the opportunity to visit the bench that Tom arranged to put up in memory of Maureen. It is in a lovely location, along the Waterfront Trail near their condominium (2267 Lakeshore Blvd West). Its precise placement is shown on google maps at this link, which also shows photos of the bench, the view of the lake and snaps of people who have visited it. Liam is going to post one of the  photos that were taken when we visited.

In contrast to the unseasonably cool temperatures we had for the May meeting at Jo's, the weather for our June meeting was hot and steamy. We were very happy to escape from Toronto and meet in Port Hope, where Jan and Jane graciously co-hosted us. We were treated to delicious snacks and lunch at Jan's house, and then to a scrumptious Eton Mess dessert at Jane's. Our book for June was The Mighty Red which we agreed was a very interesting read, because of its cross-section of quirky, plucky characters and the challenges they faced, as well as its reference to an array of environmental, historical and economic issues. Many thanks to Jane and Jan for working in the midst of the heatwave to make our day so enjoyable!

We will be meeting at Saara's in July--likely July 23rd but this will be confirmed. We will be reading The Paris Express by Emma Donoghue.

In August we will be reading Say Nothing by Patrick Radden Keefe. We will be meeting at Wanda's on August 27th.

Books we discussed:

• The Warmth of Other Suns by Isabel Wilkerson
•  Fire Weather: a True Story from a Hotter World by John Vaillant
•  The Island of Missing Trees by Elif Shafak
•  The Thing Around Your Neck by Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie

Some things we are watching:

• The Lesser Blessed on Gem
•  Outrageous on BritBox: