April 5, 2009 - "East of Eden"

As the snow melts and spring is in the air we are venturing farther south from Campton and Thornton, NH. Today, we met at Joy's home in Concord, NH. There were thirteen of us present. Delicious appetizers and a wee bit of vino set the mood for our discussion of John Steinbeck's "East of Eden". We unanimously liked this book. Comparisons with the "Book of Genesis" were made. Favorite character - Lee....the wise Chinese man who provided stability in the life of the Trask family. Discussed evil character of Cathy/Kate. Agreed that the book was superior to the movie staring James Dean. There were many important quotes from the book.....most meaningful and the theme of the book was "thou mayest".

I wrote that we were heading south..... Our next meeting will be on Sunday, May 31, 2009, at Lori's home in Jamaica Plain, MA. Departure from the North Country will be at 9am. We will include a walk in the nearby Arnold Arboretum to view the lilacs and roses. Book to be discussed is "The Reader". Lori has offered to make a dinner for us. Leaving home so early, we should also pack a snack or bag lunch to eat in the Arboretum.

Claire made book suggestions for our June 28th meeting. Majority voted for "Cold Sassy Tree" by Olive Ann Burns. http://www.amazon.com/Cold-Sassy-Tree-Olive-Burns/dp/0618919716/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1238985662&sr=1-1
Since I will be traveling in June, I ordered a used copy from Amazon for one cent plus postage. There are plenty more available. I will be in touch with Selena or Susie to order the book from the Thornton Library.

Claire also recommended three other excellent choices:
Baker Towers: A Novel (Paperback)by Jennifer Haigh http://www.amazon.com/Baker-Towers-Novel-Jennifer-Haigh/dp/0060509422/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1239029501&sr=1-1

Dreams from My Father: A Story of Race and Inheritance (Paperback)by Barack Obama http://www.amazon.com/Dreams-My-Father-Story-Inheritance/dp/1400082773/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1239029762&sr=1-1

She's Come Undone by Wally Lamb http://www.amazon.com/Shes-Come-Undone-Oprahs-Book/dp/0671021001/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1239029828&sr=1-1

Other members' recommendations for good reads were:

Ann S - "Where Did I Leave My Glasses?: The What, When, and Why of Normal Memory Loss" by Martha Lear http://www.amazon.com/Where-Did-Leave-My-Glasses/dp/0446580597/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1238983607&sr=1-1

Judy - "The Girls from Ames" by Jeffrey Zaslow http://www.amazon.com/s/ref=nb_ss_b_0_15?url=search-alias%3Dstripbooks&field-keywords=the+girls+from+ames&sprefix=the+girls+from+

Stephanie - " This Child Will Be Great LP: Memoir of a Remarkable Life by Africa's First Woman President" by Ellen Johnson Sirleaf http://www.amazon.com/This-Child-Will-Great-Remarkable/dp/0061353477/ref=sr_1_2?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1238985238&sr=1-2

Judy later emailed us to recommend Jeffrey Lent's new book "After You've Gone" http://www.amazon.com/After-Youve-Gone-Jeffrey-Lent/dp/0871138948/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1238985372&sr=1-1

After discussion, it was time for tea, coffee, and dessert. In addition to Judy's miniature sweets, Claire had prepared a most unusual cake as it had black eyed peas as one of it's ingredients. There was an apricot filling and the top was decorated with apricot black eyed susans. We will add the recipes to our other blog http://riverrunrecipes.blogspot.com/

Recycle, recycle, recycle...... We cleaned out our closets and arrived with trash bags filled with clothing. I am especially excited about the wonderful travel blouse that I acquired. The remaining three full bags will be delivered by Marilyn to the Campton Thrift Shop. Great idea and a fun time for all.