HOT FLASHERS BOOK CLUB
Reading Shit Together Since 1979
Send Mollie any pictures you have of meetings and I'll post them here!
Three Beautiful Books
We had an almost full house for the start of our fourth round of book club. Kristen stretched us into new (and old) formats offering three different styles and lengths of books to read. We were transported and motivated by the wonderful "Beatryce Prophecy" and enchanted by the worlds of The All of It and Silver in the Wood.
Want more of these genres? See some great suggestions from Kristen below.
FROM KRISTEN....
I wanted to follow up with a few book suggestions in the genres we discussed last night. This is just a sampling:
Novellas
(A novella is a written, fictional, prose narrative normally longer than a short story but shorter than a novel):
-FUP, by Jim Dodge
-SMALL THINGS LIKE THESE, by Claire Keegan
-FOSTER, by Claire Keegan
-BEFORE THE COFFEE GETS COLD, by ToshiKazu Kawaguchi
-TWO OLD WOMEN, by Velma Wallace
(Classics would include, THE OLD MAN AND THE SEA, THE SCREWTAPE LETTERS, THE METAMORPHOSIS….)
Kids Books for Adults, Too (some of these are illustrated with images that augment the story):
-THE EYES AND THE IMPOSSIBLE, by Dave Eggers
-THE GRAVEYARD BOOK, by Neil Gaiman
-A MONSTER CALLS, by Patrick Ness
-FLORA & ULYSSES, by Kate DiCamillo (more silly humor than Beatrice but still full of good juice)
The sequel to SILVER IN THE WOOD is called DROWNED COUNTRY, by Emily Tesh.
Thanks to Ashley for hosting a beautiful and gracious gathering and discussion of BRAIDING SWEETGRASS. We all loved the soup and salad bar, incredible desserts, and being together in Ashley’s new and beautiful home. And it seems everyone there appreciated the author who managed to impart hard science, indigenous spiritualism, and poetry all in the same breath. Some in our group shared that, once they understood it was a book of essays which could be savored in bits and pieces (rather than a novel with a continuous narrative arc), their reading enjoyment grew. It was great to read a different genre, and that’s one of the great expansion-pleasures of being in a book group!
Braiding Sweet Grass
Wolf Hall
A holiday party and book club in one! A great night at Mari's place which was decorated (check out the Christmas Village!).
We had a white elephant gift exchange....a meal fit for a king...and a hostess sporting a gown you could lose your head over.
Wolf Hall was a meaty read, but we had a post dinner discussion that really dug into the history, the character motivations and the literary style of this famed historial novel.
The Women
Another glorious location for book club....Shawn's houseboat.
It was so glorious that we may have forgotten to take pictures. ("What The Book Club Forgot...."
We met for dinner at Joinery and then headed to Shawn's for a great discussion on storytelling....our take on a popular author....our memories - thin as they are - of Vietnam....and the power of women.
What Alice Forgot
It was a sleepover at Bodega Bay. We roadtripped to Mary's and had a full house of fun. First some pickle ball. Then some dancing to old hits (including the Tazmanian Devils). Then a wonderful dinner and great discussion.
Horse
A beautiful summer evening at Valerie's place. Delicious dinner. Time to catch up. And then sitting by the crackling fire talking about a book that was a great selection. Plus...a damn good photo of the Hot Flashers.
The Heaven & Earth Grocery Story
Lots of photos and love being shared from a beautiful night at Andrea's house. We gathered under her redwoods on the warmest of Mill Valley evenings and had a night with a surprise visitor (Peter "Skip" Bogardus)...a delicious new recipe from Annie....mounds of bread from Liz....a sumptuous meal from Andry...and, to top it all off, a 60th birthday to be celebrated for Ashely. Add in a thoughtful and animated discussion of a book that some adored and some had a hard time connecting with. I love our group and how we can bring ourselves and our perspectives. It was also a night in which our Hot Flashers were especially holding our friends Kristen and Mary in our hearts.
Annie's recipe:
Labne with Sizzled Scallions and Chile
Raven Black
We had a great day out at the coast yesterday. A few flashers made it for the stunning coastal hike organized by Liz and Ashley and then a few more joined for a jolly repast at the Pelican Inn consisting of pasties, beef stew, fish and chips, English roast beast sandwich, lots of British chipsSnakebites (beer and cider) and of course a couple of salads. We had a great time at lunch and a fun book discussion with everyone appreciating the texture of the setting and the characters. No surprise, but Liz happens to know everything about detective novels from all of the UK regions, so if you are curious to learn more, you have an in-house docent. Thanks to Liz for such a fabulous idea to get us in the Shetland mode with the rugged coast and full on pub scene.
The Hobbitt
THANKS to Jeanine for hosting a really gracious and fun night of happy-chats and book-juice! It was great to be together in Bean’s beautiful, warm home, although we missed each of you who could not attend: Renee, Annie, Suzanne, Shawn. Thank you, Beanie, for your delicious soup and for your always-welcoming and generous spirit! And thank you to everyone who provided the incredible side-dishes. I am envisioning the crudite platter with dips, home made breads (WOW!), the purple cauliflower and green broccoli, the chocolate and seaweed-topped tiny cheese bites, the two crispy and tasty salads, the plethora of cookies and brownies!
Jeanine explained that she was motivated to choose The Hobbitt because she found an old book report she had done on it in grade school. And she was so innovative that she wrote (and drew) it in the form of a scroll (see below). Then she started us off with a great First Question for The Hobbit discussion. She asked us to share what we got from reading The Hobbit for the first time, or for a second time (or more)—how did we experience it differently over time? This prompted a fantastic conversation, aided by a talking stick which we used to share our thoughts one-at-a-time. Everyone’s responses prompted more thoughts and questions. It was a delightful, illuminating and insightful conversation.
Mad Honey
Mary selected a fascinating book for us to discuss. And we had planned to meet up at her place in Bodega Bay. Unfortunately covid had other plans and Mary was sick. Jeanine stepped up to host a put luck lunch at her place on a rainy day. And Mary rallied to join us via Zoom. We had a lively discussion about the unique dynamics of a piece authored by TWO writers. Lots to discuss and a learn from the book and our own perspectives.
Not enough pics for this day, but we did grab a group one that's missing some attendees. And Jeanine showing off the amazing honey loaf she made from a recipe in the book!
Solito at Annie's house.
It was Andrea's actual birthday.
And Lisa shared her first edition of Edible Marin & Wine Country.
Everyone should subscribe at www.EdibleMarinAndWineCountry.com.
Demon Copperhead at Renee's
Suzanne names the next book pic! (and has something on her lip)
A birthday celebration for all our May birthdays (even Mary in absentia). Click the video below.
Cafe Arrivederci
and an absent hostess :-(
The book Crossroads certainly inspired many robust questions, comments, interpretations, opinions, and takeaways amongst the group that was there!
Some highlights:
-Thanks for the reserved room, Mols! It was great to have our own nook.
-Renee handed out a list of resources she compiled from her social gather around sexual health, thank you!
-Renee also took a group photo for the website (though I wish she had been in it, too!)
-On Mari’s suggestion, we went around the table taking turns updating everyone on our lives and activities
-In Mollie’s spirit, Kristen articulated our “intentions” and finished just in time before Liz told her to “Shut up.” Kristen said, “I’m telling on you,” and thus, here we are.
San Rafael Joe's and a great convo!
Mixed reviews on Zorrie, but lots of good stuff to talk about. Even the differing covers of the book! Plus some classic, old school Italian food.
Our first
Hot Flashers Social Club
Xmas 2022
A beautiful pre-Thanksgiving gathering at Kristen's. Gathered by the fire, filled with yummy food and the spirit of friendship. The beginning of our third book rotation, the addition of Ashley to our group, plus a new set schedule and a great re-affirming of our group's intention and importance in our lives.
Mari joined the Hot Flashers and hosted a great discussion of a great book in a perfect creekside setting. An abundance of food, fun and we even had an appearance by a skunk!
Incredible!
Book club on the water at Shawn's Sausalito houseboat.
Just Mercy
A fun meeting at Renee's with Mary and Annie on board!
The Secret History by Donna Tartt
MEETING: June 25th 2018 6pm. At Mollie's. Costumes from the 80's were attempted.
Second Meeting at Lisa's for Never Let Me Go.
May 12, the day before Mother's Day at Lisa's beautiful home in Glen Ellen.
First Meeting - Kristen's House
To Kill a Mockingbird
At our kick off event, Kristen showered us with Hot Flasher Swag for note taking and future book inspirations. We had some scrumptious soup and salad, then dug into a great discussion of the classic: To Kill a Mockingbird. We were wowed by a hand crafted centerpiece that held all the treasures from Boo Radley's tree. Kristen even carved the soap dolls herself!
A group who sings decides to book group!
