tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-81217395689212124692024-03-05T08:27:05.978-08:00Cats and a Book Book Club GuideUnknownnoreply@blogger.comBlogger3125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8121739568921212469.post-62626522060977274142012-02-25T16:52:00.001-08:002012-02-25T16:53:02.064-08:00The Snow Child, by Eowyn Ivey<div class="MsoNormal" style="background-color: #fff9ee; color: #222222; line-height: 21px;"><span style="font-size: 15px;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi7W68PsQC9GwoH7vnXuLbrAXpz47zDEgaGE7_TtIJm8d37J-6rI6_O_pov_Oha_P2CpNs7WI2t399wZ_qTt7g7A8cNKbhEN_LkIWM7fIvJX7kidDUYJmgkptYwoCa842KtkUr1BhQFm7o/s1600/the+snow+child.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; font-family: Georgia, Utopia, 'Palatino Linotype', Palatino, serif; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi7W68PsQC9GwoH7vnXuLbrAXpz47zDEgaGE7_TtIJm8d37J-6rI6_O_pov_Oha_P2CpNs7WI2t399wZ_qTt7g7A8cNKbhEN_LkIWM7fIvJX7kidDUYJmgkptYwoCa842KtkUr1BhQFm7o/s1600/the+snow+child.jpg" /></a><span style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;"><i><a href="http://www.catsandabook.blogspot.com/2012/02/snow-child-by-eowyn-ivey.html">The Snow Child</a></i>, by Eowyn Ivey, is a fun read. Although the story is at times sad, </span></span><span style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">the fairy tale quality of the book, the engaging characters, and the satisfying ending makes it an entertaining story. </span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="background-color: #fff9ee; color: #222222; line-height: 21px;"><span style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial;"><span style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;"><br />
</span></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="background-color: #fff9ee; color: #222222; line-height: 21px;"><span style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;"><span style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial;">A link to a summary of the book on the<span class="apple-converted-space"> </span></span><a href="http://www.catsandabook.blogspot.com/" style="color: #888888; text-decoration: none;"><span style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial;">Cats and a Book</span></a><span class="apple-converted-space"><span style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial;"> </span></span><span style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial;">blog. To purchase the book, link to the<span class="apple-converted-space"> </span></span><a href="http://www.catsandabook.blogspot.com/" style="color: #888888; text-decoration: none;"><span style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial;">Cats and a Book Bookstore</span></a><span style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial;"> (scroll to the bottom of the page). I ask you to support this blog and the Cats and a Book blog by purchasing your books through the bookstore. Orders are fulfilled through Amazon.com; the Cats and a Book Bookstore retains none of your purchase information. <span class="apple-converted-space"> </span></span></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="background-color: #fff9ee; color: #222222; line-height: 21px;"><span style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;"><br />
</span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="background-color: #fff9ee; color: #222222; line-height: 21px;"><span style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">Here are some questions to get your discussions started. <span style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial;">Keep in mind that the questions may give some of the plots away, so read the book first if you're intending to:</span></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="background-color: #fff9ee; color: #222222; font-size: 15px; line-height: 21px;"><span style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; font-size: 11.5pt;"><span style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;"><br />
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<div class="MsoNormal" style="font-size: 11.5pt;"><span style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial;"><span style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">1. Was Faina real? How much of the story do you think could have been Mabel’s imagination? </span></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="font-size: 11.5pt;"><span style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial;"><br />
</span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="font-size: 11.5pt;"><span style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial;"><span style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">2. What was your favorite fairy tale when you were younger? Why?</span></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="font-size: 11.5pt;"><span style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial;"><br />
</span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="font-size: 11.5pt;"><span style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial;"><span style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">3. Have you ever had a “fairy tale” experience in real life? What was it and what made it a “fairy tale”? </span></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="font-size: 11.5pt;"><span style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;"><br />
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<div style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial initial; background-repeat: initial initial; line-height: 16.5pt; margin-bottom: 0.0001pt; margin-left: 0in; margin-right: 0in; margin-top: 0in;"><span style="font-family: Georgia, serif; font-size: 11pt;">In<span class="apple-converted-space"> </span><i>The Snow Child</i>, Jack and Mabel survived on wild berries, potatoes, and game. For your book club meeting, I've pinned a number of recipes and a couple of centerpiece ideas on the<span class="apple-converted-space"> </span><a href="http://pinterest.com/dscearce/alaskan-wilderness/">Alaskan Wilderness Board</a>. For decorations, arrange evergreen branches for a centerpiece or multi-colored berries with crinkled plastic wrap (it looks like ice!) in a clear glass vase. </span><span style="font-size: 11pt;"><o:p></o:p></span></div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
</div></div><div class="post-body entry-content" id="post-body-1361761109561568289" style="line-height: 1.4; position: relative; width: 570px;"><div class="MsoNormal" style="font-size: 11.5pt;"><span style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial;"><span style="font-size: 11.5pt; line-height: 1.4;"><span style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">Happy reading!</span></span></span></div><div style="clear: both; font-size: 11.5pt;"></div></div><div class="post-footer" style="border-bottom-color: rgb(238, 238, 238); border-bottom-style: solid; border-bottom-width: 1px; color: #666555; font-family: Georgia, Utopia, 'Palatino Linotype', Palatino, serif; font-size: 13px; line-height: 1.6; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: -2px; margin-right: -2px; margin-top: 20px; padding-bottom: 5px; padding-left: 10px; padding-right: 10px; padding-top: 5px;"><span style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial;"><br />
</span></div></div>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8121739568921212469.post-13617611095615682892012-02-04T10:31:00.001-08:002012-04-03T14:16:58.196-07:00The Odds, by Stewart O'Nan<div class="MsoNormal"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgb0SAg0jKOcmdHXPwtsjfEcn1gha4BA56vhDLu2SIj4mVr8A57kMd6epQw0mZrNvIk9LazXzbV5QU0KRE__OD7LuI1Crd6q5tuK9kA-weaaVBPiZDx1ApFkoDmLpMFNajEJPm5-SCoe6I/s1600/the+odds.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgb0SAg0jKOcmdHXPwtsjfEcn1gha4BA56vhDLu2SIj4mVr8A57kMd6epQw0mZrNvIk9LazXzbV5QU0KRE__OD7LuI1Crd6q5tuK9kA-weaaVBPiZDx1ApFkoDmLpMFNajEJPm5-SCoe6I/s1600/the+odds.jpg" /></a><a href="http://catsandabook.blogspot.com/2012/02/odds-by-steward-onan.html"><i>The Odds</i></a>, by Stewart O’Nan, is a lovely book and perfect for your book club to read and discuss. First, it is a delightful story. Second, it is a quick book to read—perfect for those in your club who don’t have much time to commit to heavier tomes. And third, the themes in this book—marriage and finances—are common to a lot of readers. </div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal"><span style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-color: #fff9ee; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; color: #222222; font-family: Georgia, serif; font-size: 11.5pt;">A link to a summary of the book on the<span class="apple-converted-space"> </span></span><a href="http://www.catsandabook.blogspot.com/"><span style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-color: #fff9ee; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; color: #888888; font-family: Georgia, serif; font-size: 11.5pt; text-decoration: none;">Cats and a Book</span></a><span class="apple-converted-space"><span style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-color: #fff9ee; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; color: #222222; font-family: Georgia, serif; font-size: 11.5pt;"> </span></span><span style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-color: #fff9ee; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; color: #222222; font-family: Georgia, serif; font-size: 11.5pt;">blog. To purchase the book, link to the<span class="apple-converted-space"> </span></span><a href="http://www.catsandabook.blogspot.com/"><span style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-color: #fff9ee; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; color: #888888; font-family: Georgia, serif; font-size: 11.5pt; text-decoration: none;">Cats and a Book Bookstore</span></a><span style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-color: #fff9ee; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; color: #222222; font-family: Georgia, serif; font-size: 11.5pt;"> (scroll to the bottom of the page). I ask you to support this blog and the Cats and a Book blog by purchasing your books through the bookstore. Orders are fulfilled through Amazon.com; the Cats and a Book Bookstore retains none of your purchase information. <span class="apple-converted-space"> </span></span></div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal">Here are some questions to get your discussions started. <span style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-color: #fff9ee; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; color: #222222; font-family: Georgia, serif; font-size: 11.5pt;">Keep in mind that the questions may give some of the plots away, so read the book first if you're intending to:<o:p></o:p></span></div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal">1. Have you ever visited Niagara Falls? What was your experience like?</div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal">2. How did you feel about Art and Marion’s resolution to surrender the control of their futures to the roulette wheel? What is the benefit to giving up control? What is the disadvantage? </div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal">3. In what other ways did they surrender control during their trip? In what ways did Art and Marion behave in attempt to retain control? </div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal">4. Does your family have any saying or language that would make no sense to outsiders? What was the shared experience that gave rise to that saying? Did it originally have a different meaning?</div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal">During the course of the book, champagne features prominently. How about a Champagne Brunch menu for your club to enjoy? Whether or not you choose to serve actual champagne is your choice; champagne grapes make a lovely accompaniment to your main course instead. If you recall, Art and Marion had room service deliver an elaborate breakfast, so this menu will feature breakfast foods.</div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal">Check my Pinterest board <a href="http://pinterest.com/dscearce/champagne-brunch/">“Champagne Brunch” </a>for recipe suggestions:</div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal">“Champagne Brunch” Menu:</div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal">Champagne grapes with goat cheese squares, rolled in crushed or finely chopped pistachios</div><div class="MsoNormal">Stuffed French Toast</div><div class="MsoNormal">Candied bacon</div><div class="MsoNormal">Mini quiches</div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal">Some heartier options:</div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal">Hand-held Hash brown casseroles</div><div class="MsoNormal">Breakfast casserole</div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal">And of course, we need some Niagara Falls/Casino themed decorations, which you can find on my Pinterest Board for <a href="http://pinterest.com/dscearce/casino-party/">Casino Party</a>. Since the book occurred on Valentine’s Day weekend, you can also use Valentines to decorate, too. </div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal">Happy reading!</div>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8121739568921212469.post-6824922842317038762012-01-14T10:17:00.000-08:002012-01-16T14:25:32.772-08:00A Good Scent from a Strange Mountain, by Robert Olen Butler<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgH1VDsoIJliLgzb3BNvvfkidUDwK43lQisFKXbCdHg7StjsYWioRWhpq7eDPBJayD2S_3Oy82uvcQGODAZdNn-qDE2Ol2JRqUl-lvFkKrw8YxsF64etOwS3AgidsIRNgZq3JaNx9x_c20/s1600/good+scent.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgH1VDsoIJliLgzb3BNvvfkidUDwK43lQisFKXbCdHg7StjsYWioRWhpq7eDPBJayD2S_3Oy82uvcQGODAZdNn-qDE2Ol2JRqUl-lvFkKrw8YxsF64etOwS3AgidsIRNgZq3JaNx9x_c20/s1600/good+scent.jpg" /></a><em><a href="http://www.catsandabook.blogspot.com/2012/01/good-scent-from-strange-mountain-by.html">A Good Scent from a Strange Mountain</a></em> is a collection of short stories, which is a particularly book-club-friendly choice, especially if there are members of your club (and you know who you are) who don't actually read the book before the meeting. There are a few stories that are very short, so you no longer have any exxcuse for not having read at least one! If you do read one, my wager is that you'll read two, or maybe the whole book. These are powerful stories that will draw you into the characters' lives and you'll want to know how they are resolved. There may not all be happy endings necessarily, but they are realistic and in most cases show how the characters make the best of their situations. <br />
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A link to a summary of the book on the <a href="http://www.catsandabook.blogspot.com/">Cats and a Book</a> blog. To purchase the book, link to the <a href="http://www.catsandabook.blogspot.com/">Cats and a Book Bookstore</a> (scroll to the bottom of the page). I ask you to support this blog and the Cats and a Book blog by purchasing your books through the bookstore. Orders are fulfilled through Amazon.com; the Cats and a Book Bookstore retains none of your purchase information. <br />
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<em>Just a note about book club discussion structure. If you haven't met before, it's a good idea to start with a quick summary of the book and allow members to mention one or two high points for them. Sharing a quote from the book is a wonderful way to bring up discussion points or as a way to introduce members, and is particularly fun over a meal or snack. </em><br />
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Here are a few questions to get your discussions started. Keep in mind that the questions may give some of the plots away, so read the book first if you're intending to:<br />
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1. In "Fairy Tale," a prostitute who calls herself Miss Noi, is fasicnated with the way fairy tales begin in America: Once upon a time. What is Miss Noi's fairy tale life? Do "once upon a time" stories have value for our children to hear? How is it beneficial? How is it detrimental?<br />
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2. In "Crickets," Ted's 10-year-old son says "y'all" and has no interest in cricket fighting, a game Ted played as a child in Vietnam. How is this a culture gap, which Ted fears? How is it a generation gap? What games or activities have you had success engaging your children in, and what has failed? What have you learned to enjoy from your children or the younger generation in your family? <br />
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3. In "Relic," what was the significance of John Lennon's shoe? Why did he want to own two of Lennon's shoes and walk in them? <br />
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4. In "The American Couple," Frank and Vinh had an unstated connection that led to war games at the site of a class American movie. Frank's wife seemed to ignore it, almost as if it was typical behavior, while Gabrielle was fascinated by watching their interactions. What was the connection, and why did they choose to act it out this way? What was the significance of the parasail experience to Gabrielle and Vinh? <br />
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5. What kinds of activities, pasttimes, or thinking did the immigrants adopt to fit in? Why? Did it make their lives easier or more difficult? <br />
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And now, on to the food! Because the book features Vietnamese immigrants in Louisiana, you have a unique combination of foods to serve and decor to choose from. For example, you could create Mardis Gras table decor, using beads and feathered masks, and serve Vietnamese dishes.<br />
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I've pinned <a href="http://pinterest.com/dscearce/mardi-gras/">a few ideas for decorating your table</a>, and a <a href="http://pinterest.com/dscearce/vietnamese-food/">few recipes for snacks or a meal</a>. You probably have some terrific ideas, so please share your photos, recipes, and questions with us, too! <br />
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Enjoy!Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0