Alice in Wonderland by Lewis Carroll

After the movie starring Johnny Depp came out recently, I was talking with a friend about the original story.  I knew I had read it a few times as a child and I recognized the ephemoral and dreamy quality in the movie but I was certain the story was not the same as the book at all.  He assured me that the story in the movie was the same except for some minor differences and of course I had to re-read it and find out for myself.  The movie was in no way like the book except for the main characters....Alice, The Red Queen, the Mad Hatter, the White Rabbit, the Caterpillar, the Cheshire Cat, etc.  However, the situations were entirely different.  I think the screenplay for the movie must have been written using the poem "Jabberwocky" from the book since it is the only time the JubJub bird, the Bandersnatch, the Jabberwocky, slaying the Jabberwocky, frabjous day or the vorpal sword are ever mentioned and upon which the entire movie is based.  Well, enough about the movie.  The book was as dreamy and silly as I remembered.  It would be like waking from a very bizarre dream and writing it all down which is why I must have liked it as a child.
There is a new childrens book trilogy by Frank Beddor which begins with a book called The Looking Glass Wars in which Wonderland is not an imagined fantasy world but real.  The new Alyss is heir to the throne of the Red Queen when her murderous Aunt Redd kills Alyss' parents and steals the throne.  Alyss escapes with the Hatter but they are seperated while fleeing to our world through the Pool of Tears.  Alyss is lost and alone in Victorian England.  The Hatter is searching every corner of our world to find Alyss and return her home to Wonderland so she may battle Redd for her rightful place as the Queen of Hearts.  I think it sounds interesting and puts a whole new twist on the original Alice's story.

Drawing in the Dust by Zoe Klein

From the back cover:  "Brilliant archaeologist Page Brookstone has toiled at Israel's storied battlegrounds of Megiddo for twelve years, yet noneof the ancient remnants she has unearthed deliver the life-altering message she craves.  Which is why she risks her professional reputation when a young Arab couple begs her to excavate beneath their home.  Ibrahim and Naima Barakat claim the spirits of two lovers overwhelm everyone who enters with love and desire.  As Page digs, she makes a miraculous discovery - the bones of deeply troubled prophet Jeremiah locked in eternal embrace with a mysterious woman.  Buried with the entwined skeletons is a collection of scrolls that challenge centuries-old interpretations of the prophet's story and create a worldwide fervor.  Caught in a forbidden romance of her own, and under siege from religious zealots and relentless critics, Page endangers her life to share the lover's story with the world.  But in doing so, she discovers she must let go of her own painful past."

I enjoyed this book.  I thought it was interesting and imaginative, similar to The Red Tent in that it is biblical fiction.  I use the term biblical very loosely.  While the bones discovered in the book are of the prophet Jeremiah and the author, who is a progressive female rabbi, obviously knows her Old Testament I found I was having to set aside my own knowledge and beliefs in order to enjoy this work of fiction.  The author has a flowery, lyrical writing style that was beautiful to read but a little unbelievable coming out of every character's mouth.  All in all it was a good book.  I would recommend it, it is definitely different but worthwhile.

Catching Up

So many months have gone by that I feel the need to catch up a little bit before we continue. A little re-formatting, some new pictures, etc.

I left off at Lunch in Paris in February. In March we met for The Adventures of Miles and Isabel at Barbara's house. The meal was Australian theme with Shrimp on the Barbie and other classic Australian dishes. The group felt that something must have been lost in the translation from Australian culture to American because it just seemed as if we were missing important australian cultural experiences to fully appreciate the novel.

In April we met at Jen's house for My Name is Asher Lev. Of course the food theme was Jewish. Everyone seemed to like the book and a few expressed interest in reading the sequel which published 20 years later. Hopefully we will hear more about Asher in the future.

May's Book, The Hunger Games was celebrated at Karie's house with lots of salad and other natural food choices. The book was well liked and currently most of us have read the sequel Catching Fire and a few of us are anxiously awaiting the last intallment of the trilogy Mockingjay which will be released August 24 of this year.

In June we took a break from group choices and each read and shared our Beach Reads for the month of June. It was a small meeting at Tracy's house with classic summer fare including sliders, baked beans, caprese salad, potato salad, and summery wine and cocktail choices. It was nice to see everyone relax and share their mostly erotic summer reading choices.

This month we are reading When Elephants Weep, our Animal genre selection. The genres for the rest of the year include Award Winner, Banned Book, Horror/Sci-fi and Comedy/Humor. Currently we have read 50 books together since the inception of Book Club in January 2006. If you ever want to know all of the titles we have read so far, simply check out the column of books to the right.

Sorry to be so remiss in chronicling our book journeys together. I'll try to stay on top of things better. Happy Summer to all of you! Keep Reading!

Patriot Ball Puppy Basket

Update on the Puppy Basket we put together for the Patriot Ball, the fundraiser dinner for Temecula Preparatory School. It sold for $220. Thank you to all who participated. The school and I appreciate your generosity.

Lunch in Paris: A Love Story with Recipes by Elizabeth Bard

It was unanimous, this Book Club Meeting was by far the best food yet. The way people arrived and how the food came out of the oven, it turned out to be a course meal...we ate and talked and laughed from 7:30 to 9:30. The phrase by the end of the night was "fetch me a bucket!" We started with escargot (everyone was brave and sampled at least one), then we had Mushroom Turnovers and some amazing herbed brie and baguette, a fresh palate cleansing Tabouleh salad with fresh squeezed grapefruit dressing, Chicken and Pepper Stew served over roasted red potatoes, Honey Rosemary Pork ribs, then we had homemade Coconut Macaroons, a spiced apple turnover, yougurt cake and individual molten chocolate lava cakes with plenty of French wine. It was a night to remember.

The book was okay. The recipes in the book were amazing. It was interesting to note the differences in French and American culture. Once again, a great evening out with the ladies!

January Book Club Meeting

The Year of the Flood by Margaret Atwood

To start the year off with a bang we chose one of the books from the Book Exchange in December. It turned out to be a good choice. I personally like Margaret Atwood's writing style and thought the book was thought provoking and just controversial enough to prompt a good discussion. In The Year of the Flood we are introduced to two former members of an ecologically aware organization, called God’s Gardeners, that melds science and religion. The Gardners preach non-violence, resourcefulness and respect for all living things, but are dismissed by others as a “greenie cult.” Toby is a longtime member-turned-health spa worker, and Ren is a young exotic dancer. The “Waterless Flood”–a deadly plague foretold by the Gardners–has arrived, destroying most of the human life. Toby, Ren and other survivors must find each other in the aftermath of this disaster, and Atwood takes us along as they explore their present and remember their pasts.

As always, the meeting was a blast. We had great food, including some "secret burgers" and spent the evening laughing so hard we almost sent Lori into labor!

The Book Thief by Markus Zusak

I picked this book up at a 2nd hand bookstore, based on the blurb on the back. I went into it knowing absolutely nothing about it. It is the story of Liesel Meminger, an illiterate nine year old girl, who is completely changed when she learns to read. She becomes an efficient thie
f, along with her best friend Rudy. The book is narrated by Death, who is fascinated with her, and finds time to watch her, in spite of the punishing workload WWII is providing him. It is the most innovative book I have read, maybe ever. It is an original story, brilliantly written. There are moments of humor, revenge, gore, and real true pure love. I did not realize until I finished the book that it was intended for a Young Adult audience. I would recommend it cautiously to most teenagers, but heartily to all adults. Reading this book was an unequaled pleasure.