I can’t believe November 15th is approaching so fast! If you are still working on finishing the book Persuasion you can listen to it here for free! (it also has the text)
This meeting will be at my friend Jodi’s house. Email me if you need directions or want to carpool. Everything will be the same, just a new location. 10:00 am, bring your favorite brunch item. 🙂
I have SO MUCH to tell you about this month’s author, Jane Austen. When I first found out I would be writing this post, I thought, “This is our 4th Jane Austen book. There won’t be anything else to tell them about her! I’ll have to think of something else to write.”
Except we didn’t start writing About the Author posts until more recently, and there’s only one other post on this dear woman which I wrote in a characteristically lazy manner. So lazy that I said nothing about her! I claimed it would spoil the book or some such nonsense. Ha.
After thoroughly chastising myself, I set about to laboriously research our favorite writer by combing through her Wikipedia article. I’ve seen Becoming Jane. What else could there possibly be to know? And then I chastised myself some more.
She’s a sneaky one. You see she purposefully had many of the documents that could have told us about her life destroyed. How did she know anyone would care? She wasn’t actually famous per se during her lifetime. I mean, the books were well known, but she published under the name “A Lady.” Although some people must have known she wrote them because she was invited to visit the Prince Regent, George IV, who requested she dedicate her next book to him. Since she felt she had no choice but to do so, she did- sarcastically- with Plan of a Novel.
We do know some fascinating tidbits about the timeline of her life. Apparently she decided at the age of 13 to be a serious writer, and from that young age worked consistently on her craft. In her early twenties she began putting the characters of Pride and Prejudice, Sense and Sensibility, and Northanger Abbey on paper. Lack of fortune, want of connections, and- I’m going to guess- war, all had their hand in preventing her from publishing anything until she was 35 years old. Well, that, and a cranky publisher who bought the copyright to Northanger Abbey when she was 22 and never published it. Mansfield Park, Emma, and Persuasion were all written towards the end of her life which ended so early at the age of 41. In fact, Persuasion and Northanger Abbey were published posthumously with a note from her brother Henry which revealed her as the author of the novels.
Although it has been quite some time since I’ve seen Becoming Jane, I do remember James McAvoy’s character, and indeed there was such a man in her life. Well, Wikipedia didn’t really tell me enough for me to know that she was in love with him, but they did cause some trouble together and apparently his family felt the need to keep them apart, so there must have been some attraction. We also know that she was engaged for one day to a family friend who is also a character in the movie, but unlike the movie, he apparently was, “a large, plain-looking man who spoke little, stuttered when he did speak, was aggressive in conversation, and almost completely tactless.” If we know anything about Jane from her stories, we know there is no way you could convince her to marry such a man.
After all my careful toiling through Wikipedia, I have come to just that conclusion: We know Jane from her stories. We know her sensibility, prejudices, and persuasions. She told us herself. I’m enjoying her sense of humor in Emma. I need to get going though, and finish the book. I’ve spent way too much time on this blog post for you all! If you need to find out more for yourself you can always check Wikipedia, but if you really want to know, you’ll read her writings for yourself.
2021
September 2021: Midnight at the Blackbird Cafe by Heather Webber (176)
August 2021: The Lost Man by Jane Harper (175)
bonus book: A Trick of the Light by Louise Penny (174)
July 2021: Dark Matter by Blake Crouch (173)
bonus book: The Brutal Telling by Louise Penny (172)
June 2021: The Lazy Genius Way by Kendra Adachi (171)
bonus book: A Rule Against Murder by Louise Penny (170)
April 2021:
Hannah Coulter by Wendell Berry (169)
March 2021
: Crime and Punishment by Fyodor Dostoyevsky (168)
bonus book: The Cruelest Month by Louise Penny (167)
February 2021
: Snow Child by Eowyn Ivey (166)
bonus book:
A Fatal Grace by Louise Penny (165)
January 2021: Still Life by Louise Penny (164)
2020
December 2020: Mother Tongue by Christine Gilbert (163)
November 2020: Don Quixote by by Miguel de Cervantes (162)
October 2020: What the Wind Knows by Amy Harmon (Ireland) (161)
September 2020: Circe by Madeline Miller (Greece) (160)
August 2020: Elephant Company by Vicki Constantine Croke (Burma) (159)
July 2020: Radio Shangra La by Lisa Napoli (Bhutan) (158)
June 2020: Pavilion of Woman by Pearl S Buck (China) (157)
*May 2020: Endurance by Scott Kelly (space) (156)
*April 2020: The Coroner’s Lunch by Colin Cotterill (Laos) (155)
March 2020: West With The Night by Beryl Markham (Kenya) (154)
*February 2020: The Black Tulip by Alexandre Dumas (Netherlands) (153)
January 2020: Raven Black by Ann Cleeves (Scottland) (152)
2019
December 2019: Unmarriageable by Soniah Kamal (Pakistan) (151)
November 2019: Dracula by Bram Stoker (Translivania) (150)
*October 2019: (book flight)Out of the Silent Planet,
Perelandra, and That Hideous Strength by C.S. Lewis (Space) (147, 148,149)
September 2019: My Berlin Kitchen by Luisa Weiss (Germany) (146)
August 2019: Baking Cakes in Kigali by Gaile Parkin (Rwanda)(145)
*July 2019: The Underground Girls of Kabul by Jenny Nordberg (Afghanistan)(144)
*June 2019: Marilla of Green Gables by Sarah McCoy (Canada)(143)
May 2019: Next Year in Havana by Chanel Cleeton (Cuba) (142)
*April 2019: Born A Crime by Trevor Noah (South Africa) (141)
*March 2019: The Clockmakers Daughter by Kate Morton (England) (140)
*February 2019: Kristin Lavransdatter trilogy by Sigrid Undset (Norway) (137, 138, 139)
*January 2019: Sky Burial by Xinran (Tibet) (136)
2018
*December 2018: Prisoners of Geography by Tim Marshall (global) (135)
November 2018: The Case of the Missing Servant by Tarquin Hall (India) (134)
*October 2018: (book flight) All the Light We Cannot See by Anthony Doerr (France) (133)
Code Name Verity by Elizabeth Wein (132)
A Train in Winter by Caroline Moorehead (131)
September 2018: Four Seasons in Rome by Anthony Doerr (Italy) (130)
*August 2018: Alone in Antarctica by Felicity Aston (Antarctica) (129)
July 2018: A Constellation of Vital Phenomena by Anthony Marra (Chechnya) (128)
*June 2018: State of Wonder by Ann Patchett (Brazil) (127)
*May 2018: The Promise by Chaim Potok (USA) (126)
*April 2018: A Teaspoon of Earth and Sea by Dina Nayeri (Iran) (125)
*March 2018: Big Little Lies by Liane Moriarty (Australia) (124)
*February 2018: Burial Rites by Hannah Kent (Iceland) (123)
January 2018: Around the World in 80 Days by Jules Verne (global) (122)
2017
*November 2017: At Home in the World by Tsh Oxenreider (121)
October 2017: (book flight)
(1) Jane Eyre by Charlotte Brontë (120)
(2) Charlotte Bronte: a Fiery Heart by Claire Harman (119)
(3) The Mad Woman Upstairs by Catherine Lowell (118)
September 2017: Garden Spells by Sarah Addison Allen (117)
*August 2017: Lost in Shangri-la by Mitchell Zuckoff (116)
July 2017: A Midsummer Nights Dream by Shakespeare (115)
*June 2017: Into Thin Air by Jon Krakauer (114)
*May 2017: My Antonia by Willa Cather (113)
*April 2017: A Gentleman in Moscow by Amor Towles (112)
March 2017: And Then There Were None by Agatha Christie (111)
*February 2017: The Year Of Living Danishly by Helen Russell (110)
*January 2017: Ready Player One by Ernest Cline (109)
2016
December 2016: The Uncommon Reader by Alan Bennett (108)
November 2016: The Book Thief by Markus Zusak (107)
October 2016: (book flight) Harry Potter series by J. K. Rowling (100-106)
September 2016: My Life in France by Julia Child and Alex Prud’Homme (99)
August 2016: Saving CeeCee Honeycutt by Beth Hoffman (98)
July 2016: Better Than Before by Gretchen Rubin (97)
June 2016: The Lion The Witch and The Wardrobe by C.S. Lewis (96)
May 2016: A Walk in the Woods by Bill Bryson (95)
*April 2016: A Town Like Alice by Nevil Shute (94)
*March 2016: Rebecca by Daphne du Maurier (93)
*February 2016: Boys in the Boat by Daniel James (92)
*January 2016: The Lake House by Kate Morton (91)
2015
December 2015: 84, Charing Cross Road by Helene Hanff (90)
*November 2015: The Martian by Andy Weir (89)
October 2015: Northanger Abbey by Jane Austen (88)
September 2015: (Book Flight)
The Great Bridge by David McCullough (87)
*Rules of Civility by Amor Towles (86)
When You Reach Me by Rebecca Stead (85)
August 2015: The Princess Bride by William Goldman (84)
July 2015: Possession by A. S. Byatt (83)
June 2015: Seabiscuit by Laura Hillenbrand (82)
May 2015: Heidi by Johanna Spyri (81)
April 2015: Friday The Rabbi Slept Late by Harry Kemelman (80)
*March 2015: The Road from Coorain by Jill Ker Conway (79)
February 2015: A Prayer for Owen Meaney by John Irving (78)
*January 2015: Parnassus on Wheels by Christopher Morley (77)
2014
December 2014: The Sweetness at the Bottom of the Pie by Alan Bradley (76)
*November 2014: The Night Circus by Erin Morgenstern (75)
October 2014: (Book Flight)
Eiffel’s Tower by Jill Jonnes (74)
The Sharper Your Knife, the Less You Cry by Kathleen Flinn (73) and choose one:
Hunchback of Notre Dame, World at Night, Missing Italian Girl, or Paris Wife (72)
September 2014: Garlic and Sapphires by Ruth Reichl (71)
*August 2014: A Tree Grows In Brooklyn by Betty Smith (70)
July 2014: The Professor and the Madman by Simon Winchester (69)
*June 2014: Crossing to Safety by Wallace Earle Stegner (68)
May 2014: The Wizard of Oz by L. Frank Baum (67)
April 2014: The Secret Keeper by Kate Morton (66)
March 2014: The War of Art & Do the Work by Steven Pressfield (64 & 65)
February 2014: The Three Musketeers by Alexandre Dumas (63)
*January 2014: What Alice Forgot by Liane Moriarty (62)
2013
December 2013: Miss Pettigrew Lives for a Day by Winifred Watson (61)
November 2013: It’s Not About the Tapas by Polly Evans (60)
October 2013: The House of Mirth by Edith Wharton (59)
*September 2013: Bread & Wine by Shanna Niquest (58)
August 2013: The Great Gatsby by F. Scott Fitzgerald (57)
July 2013: Stepping Heavenward by Elizabeth Prentiss (56)
*June 2013: A Homemade Life by Molly Wizenberg (55)
May 2013: The Secret Garden by Frances Hodgson Burnett (54)
*April 2013: The Guernsey Literary and Potato Peel Pie Society by Mary Ann Shaffer and Annie Barrows (53)
March 2013: Murder on the Orient Express by Agatha Christie (52)
*February 2013: Sense and Sensibility by Jane Austen (51)
January 2013: The Old Curiosity Shop by Charles Dickens (50)
2012
December 2012: The Best Christmas Pageant Ever by Barbara Robinson (49)
November 2012: A Moveable Feast by Ernest Hemingway (48)
October 2012: The No. 1 Ladies Detective Agency by Alexander McCall Smith (47)
September 2012: Ivanhoe by Walter Scott (46)
*August 2012: A Hiding Place by Corrie Ten Boom (45)
July 2012: Nature by Emerson & Walking by Thoreau (43& 44)
*June 2012: Les Mis by Victor Hugo (42)
May 2012: A Wrinkle In Time by Madeleine L’Engle (41)
*April 2012: The Good Earth by Pearl S. Buck (40)
*March 2012: Emma by Jane Austen (39)
February 2012: Happy To Be Here by Garrison Keillor (38)
*January 2012: The Help by Kathryn Stockett (37)
2011
December 2011 A Year In Provence (36)
*November 2011 Velma Still Cooks In Leeway (35)
*October 2011 Murder at the Vicarage (34)
September 2011 The Hobbit (33)
August 2011 A Girl Named Zippy (32)
*July 2011 Gone With The Wind (31)
May 2011 Peter Pan (30)
April 2011 Three Cups of Tea by Greg Mortenson and David Oliver Relin (29)
*March 2011 The Tipping Point by Malcolm Gladwell (28)
*February 2011 The Chosen by Chiam Potok (27)
*January 2011 The Year of Living Biblically by A. J. Jacobs (26)
2010
December 2010 Little Women (25)
*November 2010 The Basket of Flowers (24)
*October 2010 Frankenstein (23)
*September 2010 Mansfield Park (22)
*August 2010 Cry, The Beloved Country (21)
*July 2010 Shane (20)
June 2010 The Sunny Side (19)
May 2010 Anne of Green Gables (18)
April 2010 A Tale of Two Cities (17)
March 2010 Muslims Christians & Jesus / Miniskirts, Mothers & Muslims (15, 16)
*February 2010 The Count of Monte Cristo (14)
2009
December 2009 The Code of the Woosters (13)
*November 2009 Pride and Prejudice (12)
*October 2009 The Hound of the Baskervilles (11)
*August 2009 My Name is Asher Lev (10)
June 2009 Susanna Wesley (9)
May 2009 The Shack (8)
*April 2009 Animal Vegetable Miracle (7)
*February 2009 Robinson Crusoe (6)
2008
*December 2008: The Rest of God by Mark Buckanan (5)
*November 2008: Persuasion by Jane Austen (4)
September 2008: Monday the Rabbi Took Off by Harry Kemelman (3)
July 2008: Surprised by Joy by C.S. Lewis (2)
May 2008: Having a Mary Heart in a Martha World by Joanna Weaver (1)
* These turned out to be great books for discussion for our group.
PnP brought SEVEN of us together on Monday! (Well, actually 8, if you count the BRAND new little guy in attendance! He slept oh so peacefully thru our chatter.) Jane Austin has been a popular author in our club! She brings the biggest turnouts! (ahh, Christmas decor in the background! Love it!)
On a scale of 1-10 (as my sister says, “if there actually are books that are 10’s”) I’d give PnP a 9.5. The other Austin book we read, Persuasion, is still my favorite, scoring a 10 on my scale.) I had such a good time at the cafe with all these wonderful ladies I wish we met once a week!
I’ll admit I am no expert on books. I actually didn’t like reading much as a child or teen. It wasn’t until I got into my mid-twenty’s that I jumped on the reading bandwagon! Now I feel like I can’t get enough! I love our group because once we gather and start talking about the books I learn so much more about what I just read and all I missed! There are some pretty smart ladies who attend.
Cookies and drinks had by all. And of course a little TableTopics to go around!
I had a fantastic night out! Hope to see you all back next month for The Code of the Woosters by PG Wodehouse on Monday December 14th at 7:00pm at my house. Email me if you need directions. (It’s also our annual Christmas Party!)
I’ll be posting an updated schedule in a day or two so don’t forget to check back here soon!
Hope you all had a wonderful Thanksgiving Eve and I wish you all a very Happy Thanksgiving!!!
We had a record turn out today for the book Persuasion with 6 people!!! Thank you all for coming!
Upcoming events:
December 11th: 7:00pm = December’s book club discussion on The Rest of God by Mark Buckanan. It will be a short discussion before our Christmas party
December 11th: 7:30pm = the CHRISTMAS PARTY!! 🙂 … a fondue Christmas party!! If you would like to bring something let me know.
February 21st: 10:00am (location TBA) February’s book is Robinson Cruseo by Daniel Defoe.
November 15th at 10:00am will be our next meeting for Persuasion. (location to be determined)
In December we are going to have our Christmas party! We need to start looking at dates for that… before things get too busy! (suggestions anyone??) Think of people you’d like to invite! It’d be a great chance for them to come for the first time and see what it’s all about.
Then the next meeting after that won’t be until February. We’ll adjust our every-other month schedule because of the holidays. I’ll reveal that book at our Christmas party. (unless you just can’t take the suspense and want to get started on it early!!) 🙂
This morning, over a very yummy brunch, we discussed Monday the Rabbi Took Off. It was a fun mystery that took place in Israel soon after the 6 day war. It made me a lot more interested in learning about Israel and its history! Not to mention keeping up with the news and goings-on over there. It also made me a tad jealous of the rabbi for getting to take a 3 month sabbatical!
In November we’ll meet and discuss our next book: Persuasion by the popular English novelist Jane Austen.
(date and location of our next meeting to be determined, it might be a bit cold for the park)
Broadened Horizons Book Club 