A Good Scent from a Strange Mountain 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.
A link to a summary of the book on the
Cats and a Book blog. To purchase the book, link to the
Cats and a Book Bookstore (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.
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.
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:
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?
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?
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?
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?
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?
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.
I've pinned
a few ideas for decorating your table, and a
few recipes for snacks or a meal. You probably have some terrific ideas, so please share your photos, recipes, and questions with us, too!
Enjoy!
The Snow Child, by Eowyn Ivey, is a fun read. Although the story is at times sad, the fairy tale quality of the book, the engaging characters, and the satisfying ending makes it an entertaining story. 
