I waited until June to post just to see if that March Farmer's Almanac blurb about raining in March was correct and it was!!!
In April we had a real live author, Teresa James, come to speak to us about her book (now available on Kindle for $5.99) Below Yudaha. She was wonderful! She answered all of our questions about writing and publishing our own books. She laughed with us, she got deep with us, she talked about the nuances of her book with us. She stepped right into the meeting as if she belonged there, we were immediately comfortable with her. And she even signed our books for us! Teresa is definitely an honorary member of the book club and invited to all future meetings.
I would love to have more authors come to speak... or... have meetings at readings! Send me an email as soon as you know of readings that may be of interest to the group. I am taking my husband to a Neil Gaiman reading for his birthday: http://www.brownpapertickets.com/event/179279 but if I happen to see you there no harm no foul! Speaking of... Anyone read Moneyball by Michael Lewis? I will do a separate post about it because it is one of my all-time favorite books although it is written around a subject I never felt passionate about, baseball.
For me, Moneyball illustrates how we, as a human race, may observe something for decades and build theories off those observations but then some nut job comes along and scratches the surface and says "hey, did you know all those theories and observations are wrong?" And we all laugh because, of course, we know better as we have decades of observations and who-is-this-guy-to-tell-us-differently. But the nut job, being nutty, persists in his argument, eventually wins the attention of a few important people that happen to have some influence and suddenly the whole human race, after being hit over the head by the argument for 20 or so years, realize that the nut job may have a point.
It's kind of like the 100th monkey effect, although the 100th monkey effect was discredited it has brought forth another valid point that new methods of behavior are learned then passed down to the next generation. It would take baseball management about 20 years to retire the employees that didn't believe in the new stats and hire guys that were raised on the new stats. ... Moneyball is fascinating stuff, honestly. There is humor and some great storytelling even if you don't like baseball and you try to avoid statistics.
Our Reliquary Build for May was reduced to a mini-build due to a family emergency and then the mini-build was cancelled due to a supply shortage, it was shortsighted of me to try to quickly schedule the mini-build without my supply cohort, Nicole, so I apologize to all that were looking forward to that meeting. We hope to reschedule the Reliquary Build for September and will keep you posted on the location.
Our next meeting is at the Vallejo Pirate Festival on June 18th and so far we have a good turnout. We have a few guys that RSVP'd so it looks like I have to be more mindful of FB's private event setting, especially when we have the events at private locations! We'll synchronize our phones and figure out a good meeting spot as the date approaches. Once there we'll be piratin', guzzlin' grog, mindin' our loot and guardin' against them yellow-bellied ninjas... Arrrrr!
post hashed by Angela
Wednesday, June 8, 2011
Wednesday, March 23, 2011
A Kiss and a Good Rogering
As it rains in March so it rains in June. ~Farmer’s Almanac
Rain, sleet, fog, apprehension and motion sickness could not keep Book Club’s most dedicated members from attending the meeting this past Saturday night. One member said she was apprehensive about attending because she imagined everyone in their bondage collars, stilettos and flogging accessories and she was uncertain that she wanted to be part of that scene. Imagination aside, we were a pretty tame crowd. While we were waiting for dinner we discovered that only one of us in attendance had heard of the Citadel in SF and she amazed us by sharing her experience with touring a real life dungeon set up for BDSM play.
Maguire’s was a fun meeting location; small but cozy and warm and not crowded at all. It was one of the only Irish pubs that I’ve been too that offers fish tacos and this weird concoction they call Pub Nachos. The Pub Nacho platter had me pondering the definition of Nacho, which, according to Dictionary.com is “a snack or appetizer consisting of a small piece of tortilla topped with cheese, hot peppers, etc., and broiled.” If you go by that definition then these pub nachos were not nachos at all; they were a sinful dish consisting of a bed of bbq kettle chips, generously drizzled in buffalo sauce, sprinkled with bleu cheese, salted pork and tomato. When the dish arrived at our table it was this terrible looking sea of red and browns, with some bleu cheese muddied in on top for some extra ugliness. However one taste sent the imagination soaring. How can something as ugly and wrong as this dish taste so damn good?
Gloria and I split the Shepherd’s pie which was delicious and made us realize that, unlike pub nachos which cannot be remotely related to nachos, the tater tot casserole is the red-headed step child of the shepherd’s pie. The main differences in the tater tot casserole are tater tots instead of mashed potatoes and processed cheese instead of gravy.
Rain, sleet, fog, apprehension and motion sickness could not keep Book Club’s most dedicated members from attending the meeting this past Saturday night. One member said she was apprehensive about attending because she imagined everyone in their bondage collars, stilettos and flogging accessories and she was uncertain that she wanted to be part of that scene. Imagination aside, we were a pretty tame crowd. While we were waiting for dinner we discovered that only one of us in attendance had heard of the Citadel in SF and she amazed us by sharing her experience with touring a real life dungeon set up for BDSM play.
 |
| These steakhouse nachos are not quite as ugly as the Pub Nachos |
Gloria and I split the Shepherd’s pie which was delicious and made us realize that, unlike pub nachos which cannot be remotely related to nachos, the tater tot casserole is the red-headed step child of the shepherd’s pie. The main differences in the tater tot casserole are tater tots instead of mashed potatoes and processed cheese instead of gravy.
Thursday, March 17, 2011
Bodice Ripper and Democratic Role Playing?
At our January and February meetings, several V-Town members said that they are chomping at the bit for a "bodice ripper", a good story with a strong erotic undercurrent. In order to quell the requests we thought a clever segue from our Sookie vampire series would be to explore Mistress Roquelaure’s erotica, aka Miss Anne Rice, famously known as the author of The Vampire Chronicles. Subtly paying tribute to the sexy vampire theme that started Book Club, we assigned “The Claiming of Sleeping Beauty”, by A.N. Roquelaure*. However, we discovered by choosing the “Claiming of Sleeping Beauty” V-Town crossed the line from bodice ripper to straight up BDSM. We understand that this book may prove too strong a subject for some members, and that’s okay if you did not like it, the month is almost over, April and May will bring new book topics, probably not as shocking or controversial but hopefully intriguing.
Now let’s bring out our silken ropes or leather straps (or chains, you sicko’s) and tie up this review, we will start with the relentless questioning. Why does Anne Rice use a classic Fairytale inspired title for her book? Do you think Anne Rice named her character “Beauty” as a euphemism (for?) or to demonstrate how we may be trapped by beauty? We may desire beauty but it comes with consequences? Does Anne Rice use her character Beauty to demonstrate the conflict of mind, heart and desire we may encounter when first exposed to BDSM? What Beauty experiences at the hands of her Prince may mirror some of our deepest desires, to be the object of someone’s vehement passion, to be admired, to be possessed by someone’s fierce affections. Or do you have a more democratic perspective of her situation wanting her to be freed from her humiliating subjugation long enough to switch roles with the Prince? Do you find yourself thinking about the miserable existence she has been forced to lead and about how nobody should have that kind of oppressive authority over another without back and forth role playing?
Now let’s bring out our silken ropes or leather straps (or chains, you sicko’s) and tie up this review, we will start with the relentless questioning. Why does Anne Rice use a classic Fairytale inspired title for her book? Do you think Anne Rice named her character “Beauty” as a euphemism (for?) or to demonstrate how we may be trapped by beauty? We may desire beauty but it comes with consequences? Does Anne Rice use her character Beauty to demonstrate the conflict of mind, heart and desire we may encounter when first exposed to BDSM? What Beauty experiences at the hands of her Prince may mirror some of our deepest desires, to be the object of someone’s vehement passion, to be admired, to be possessed by someone’s fierce affections. Or do you have a more democratic perspective of her situation wanting her to be freed from her humiliating subjugation long enough to switch roles with the Prince? Do you find yourself thinking about the miserable existence she has been forced to lead and about how nobody should have that kind of oppressive authority over another without back and forth role playing?
Thursday, March 10, 2011
Prep for Spring Busi-Beesness
Whoah, it’s been a fun and busy few weeks for V-Town Book Club members! This post is a summary of a small part of that business. Please let me know if you know of more business that deserves acknowledgment and I’ll provide the update.
A couple members recently found love (outside of Book Club) and are sweetly entrenched in love’s first bloom. I’m not going to name the love afflicted here but if you have attended a meeting lately then you know who was struck with cupid’s arrow.
Many of us attended Kim’s Happiness Workshop on February 26th, and from Kim we learned to be happy from the inside out. Kim demonstrated her teaching skills and her natural leadership skills while reminding us to be true and thoughtful to ourselves and honor our feelings. The Happiness Workshop was the first of its kind for Kim and she packed a full house. I counted over 20 women in attendance and Kim led us all through the workshop; her friendly, warm energy radiating over us so that it was easy to personally identify with one another even though most of us were just meeting for the first time.
On March 4th, Melissa was awarded Teacher of the Year and I was honored to attend the ceremony as her BFF date. She looked positively radiant as she accepted her award for teaching high school math and algebra at Jesse Bethel High School in Vallejo. Teaching high school in Vallejo takes dedication, courage, and skill. Melissa is 100% engaged in her role as teacher and I see her dedication as she interacts with her students in public, when she talks to me about various ways she’s incorporating technology in the classroom, and when she excitedly describes the latest teaching method that she implemented in order to help her struggling students comprehend math. The award ceremony was held at the Elk’s Lodge in Vallejo and their 70’s leather furniture, comfortable bar and huge stone fireplace (no, I didn’t get a picture…dammit to hell!) would make a perfect Book Club meeting location. Now we just need to become Elks!
A couple members recently found love (outside of Book Club) and are sweetly entrenched in love’s first bloom. I’m not going to name the love afflicted here but if you have attended a meeting lately then you know who was struck with cupid’s arrow.
Many of us attended Kim’s Happiness Workshop on February 26th, and from Kim we learned to be happy from the inside out. Kim demonstrated her teaching skills and her natural leadership skills while reminding us to be true and thoughtful to ourselves and honor our feelings. The Happiness Workshop was the first of its kind for Kim and she packed a full house. I counted over 20 women in attendance and Kim led us all through the workshop; her friendly, warm energy radiating over us so that it was easy to personally identify with one another even though most of us were just meeting for the first time.
On March 4th, Melissa was awarded Teacher of the Year and I was honored to attend the ceremony as her BFF date. She looked positively radiant as she accepted her award for teaching high school math and algebra at Jesse Bethel High School in Vallejo. Teaching high school in Vallejo takes dedication, courage, and skill. Melissa is 100% engaged in her role as teacher and I see her dedication as she interacts with her students in public, when she talks to me about various ways she’s incorporating technology in the classroom, and when she excitedly describes the latest teaching method that she implemented in order to help her struggling students comprehend math. The award ceremony was held at the Elk’s Lodge in Vallejo and their 70’s leather furniture, comfortable bar and huge stone fireplace (no, I didn’t get a picture…dammit to hell!) would make a perfect Book Club meeting location. Now we just need to become Elks!
Saturday, March 5, 2011
Wednesday, February 16, 2011
Brunch Recap ~ Spoiler Alert
This brunch opens on the Valley of the Dolls conversation in the car with Jenny infor
ming me of the heartbreaking terms that Anne resolved her life to Lyon. From Jenny, I find out Neely is 10 times worse than Old Ironsides ever was and Jennifer had a heartwrenching love-of-her-life affair that left her decimated. By the time we arrived at Nicole's in Oakland I felt heavy, slowly processing the sad conclusion of the three characters that started out in life so blissfully naive. I also felt that entering Nicole's apartment was like drawing down the closing curtain on the acts performed by the characters in Valley of the Dolls.
Only thing to do now was to indulge in the buffet lovingly laid out by Nicole and better looking than any craft service table I've encountered in my lifetime. As we were enjoying brunch and talking about our experiences with the Dolls I couldn't help but feel that we were understudies attending a wrap party celebrating the end of a month of turbulent performances.
Nicole had two heavy hitting performers in this brunch, The Wifesaver featured here to the right, and the Dolls Cupcakes (above) as a surprise, happy ending to the last act.
The Wifesaver exceeded expectations on several counts: appearance, taste and name. The savory smell of the ingredients baking in the oven greeted us as we arrived, the golden delicious appearance of a perfectly baked breakfast casserole beckoned us to dive in, and the complimenting tastes and textures of the fluffy goodness of the eggy bread kept us going back for another bite! The layer of the salty canadian bacon was wonderful and the clencher was the buttery crunchiness of the toasted cornflakes topping.
The name of the Wifesaver brought much cheerful debate and conversation. Nicole said the casserole is called the Wifesaver because it saves the wife time on otherwise busy mornings. But several of us felt that it's called the Wifesaver because it keeps the husband full, content and happy with his domestic life. Something Anne could never quite accomplish with Lyon, no matter how hard she tried. Oh, if only she had this recipe!
Toward the end of brunch we weren't quite settled on a book, we had a general direction inspired by Spring and all the lusty awakenings that comes with Spring. We left with marching orders to suggest/recommend a topic for March.
Quote of the day in the context of choosing a book for March, "I don't think the topics of sleeping around and being a feminist are such a bad thing." ~ Kim
Cocktail of the month for February
Hibiscus cocktails:
champagne flute
add one hibiscus flower in syrup
pour in champagne
bubbles from champagne will help your flower bloom
Cheers!
ming me of the heartbreaking terms that Anne resolved her life to Lyon. From Jenny, I find out Neely is 10 times worse than Old Ironsides ever was and Jennifer had a heartwrenching love-of-her-life affair that left her decimated. By the time we arrived at Nicole's in Oakland I felt heavy, slowly processing the sad conclusion of the three characters that started out in life so blissfully naive. I also felt that entering Nicole's apartment was like drawing down the closing curtain on the acts performed by the characters in Valley of the Dolls.
Only thing to do now was to indulge in the buffet lovingly laid out by Nicole and better looking than any craft service table I've encountered in my lifetime. As we were enjoying brunch and talking about our experiences with the Dolls I couldn't help but feel that we were understudies attending a wrap party celebrating the end of a month of turbulent performances.Nicole had two heavy hitting performers in this brunch, The Wifesaver featured here to the right, and the Dolls Cupcakes (above) as a surprise, happy ending to the last act.
The Wifesaver exceeded expectations on several counts: appearance, taste and name. The savory smell of the ingredients baking in the oven greeted us as we arrived, the golden delicious appearance of a perfectly baked breakfast casserole beckoned us to dive in, and the complimenting tastes and textures of the fluffy goodness of the eggy bread kept us going back for another bite! The layer of the salty canadian bacon was wonderful and the clencher was the buttery crunchiness of the toasted cornflakes topping.
The name of the Wifesaver brought much cheerful debate and conversation. Nicole said the casserole is called the Wifesaver because it saves the wife time on otherwise busy mornings. But several of us felt that it's called the Wifesaver because it keeps the husband full, content and happy with his domestic life. Something Anne could never quite accomplish with Lyon, no matter how hard she tried. Oh, if only she had this recipe!
Toward the end of brunch we weren't quite settled on a book, we had a general direction inspired by Spring and all the lusty awakenings that comes with Spring. We left with marching orders to suggest/recommend a topic for March.
Quote of the day in the context of choosing a book for March, "I don't think the topics of sleeping around and being a feminist are such a bad thing." ~ Kim
Cocktail of the month for FebruaryHibiscus cocktails:
champagne flute
add one hibiscus flower in syrup
pour in champagne
bubbles from champagne will help your flower bloom
Cheers!
Tuesday, February 15, 2011
Mistress Roquelaure
Spring is in the air and while we were looking for a subject about resurrection in a literal sense we found that everyone was more interested in erotica in a lustful sense. We revel in the energy that is ushering in Spring and we heard from a certain groundhog that this is going to be a lusty year, we all know what Rabbits do!
Throughout our lives we are in situations where we find ourselves overpowered and dominated into submission, like at the bank when they tell us we could qualify for a better rate if our credit score was just a bit higher. Hopefully we have all experienced the power of domination as well; in everyday life we may dominate in our careers or in sports, all of us exhibiting our natural competitive streak at one time or another. We ask, why not translate that submissive/domination into the bedroom and find out more about this BDSM everyone is talking about? (Privately people, on your own time... sorry to burst your bubble but it's not that kind of book club).
March is the perfect time of year to explore erotica steeped in BDSM, it is said that the month roars in like a lion and goes out like a lamb... Book club translates this to roaring in like a dom and out like a sub and we find it fun to fantasize both roles as we assign The Claiming of Sleeping Beauty by Anne Rice and determine punishments for not doing the assignment. (Okay, really, all I can come up with is forcing you all to read the Sookie series...)
Our meeting is at Maguire's Pub where we'll crush a few recovering leprechauns under the heels of our spiked stiletto's.
March 19th at 6pm
145 Kentucky Street
Petaluma, CA
RSVP by commenting here or on FB.
Throughout our lives we are in situations where we find ourselves overpowered and dominated into submission, like at the bank when they tell us we could qualify for a better rate if our credit score was just a bit higher. Hopefully we have all experienced the power of domination as well; in everyday life we may dominate in our careers or in sports, all of us exhibiting our natural competitive streak at one time or another. We ask, why not translate that submissive/domination into the bedroom and find out more about this BDSM everyone is talking about? (Privately people, on your own time... sorry to burst your bubble but it's not that kind of book club).
March is the perfect time of year to explore erotica steeped in BDSM, it is said that the month roars in like a lion and goes out like a lamb... Book club translates this to roaring in like a dom and out like a sub and we find it fun to fantasize both roles as we assign The Claiming of Sleeping Beauty by Anne Rice and determine punishments for not doing the assignment. (Okay, really, all I can come up with is forcing you all to read the Sookie series...)
Our meeting is at Maguire's Pub where we'll crush a few recovering leprechauns under the heels of our spiked stiletto's.
March 19th at 6pm
145 Kentucky Street
Petaluma, CA
RSVP by commenting here or on FB.
Monday, February 14, 2011
Viva Voce or by a Show of Comments
We have a task ahead of us and the results are due by tomorrow night, 02/15/11 at 11:59pm. The task is choosing a book for our March book club reading!
Comment here or post on FB by Tuesday, 11:59pm if you have a recommended reading or you want to vote for one of the following:
Snow Flower and the Secret Fan, Lisa See
Lonesome Dove, Larry McMurtry
The Help, Kathryn Stockett
Queenmaker: A Novel of King David’s Queen, India Edghill
The Red Tent, Anita Diamant
Whisper Falls, Toni Blake
The Thorn Birds: A Novel, Colleen Mccullough
The Claiming of Sleeping Beauty, Anne Rice and A. N. Roquelaure
The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-Time, Mark Haddon
My Secret Garden, Nancy Friday
Lady Chatterly's Lover, D.H. Lawrence
Female Perversions, Louise Kaplan
Pillars of the Earth, Ken Follet
Brooklyn Follies: A Novel, Paul Auster
The Giants House: A Romance, Elizabeth McCracken
Outlander, Diana Gabaldo
We'll post the March reading on Wednesday, February 16th.
Comment here or post on FB by Tuesday, 11:59pm if you have a recommended reading or you want to vote for one of the following:
Snow Flower and the Secret Fan, Lisa See
Lonesome Dove, Larry McMurtry
The Help, Kathryn Stockett
Queenmaker: A Novel of King David’s Queen, India Edghill
The Red Tent, Anita Diamant
Whisper Falls, Toni Blake
The Thorn Birds: A Novel, Colleen Mccullough
The Claiming of Sleeping Beauty, Anne Rice and A. N. Roquelaure
The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-Time, Mark Haddon
My Secret Garden, Nancy Friday
Lady Chatterly's Lover, D.H. Lawrence
Female Perversions, Louise Kaplan
Pillars of the Earth, Ken Follet
Brooklyn Follies: A Novel, Paul Auster
The Giants House: A Romance, Elizabeth McCracken
Outlander, Diana Gabaldo
We'll post the March reading on Wednesday, February 16th.
Wednesday, February 9, 2011
Valley of the Brunch Drunch
In Hobbiton our Sunday brunch at 1pm would be considered 4th meal, 2nd lunch or 3rd breakfast. In the SF bay area, drinking and eating at 1pm is also considered Drunch, drinking during lunch. In order to simplify the potluck choices we are calling this meeting Brunch!
Here is the potluck list so far:
Angela ~ Hibiscus Cocktails (champagne, hibiscus flowers in syrup)
Nicole ~ Wife Saver (egg, cheese, bacon casserole)
Here is the potluck list so far:
Angela ~ Hibiscus Cocktails (champagne, hibiscus flowers in syrup)
Nicole ~ Wife Saver (egg, cheese, bacon casserole)
Kim ~ Apple Crumble
Jenny ~ Fruit Plate
Gloria ~ Breakfast Casserole
Gloria ~ Breakfast Casserole
Melissa ~ Champagne/Orange Juice
And... that's it. If you haven't made a choice yet or you need a little nudge, here is what the hostess suggests:
little sandwiches
potato dish
salad
beverages (Nicole will have coffee)
You may comment here or on Facebook to give your dish of choice and I'll update the blog.
Friday, February 4, 2011
Juicy Peaches and Bitter Nuts
Reading Jacqueline Susann’s Valley of the Dolls (VotD) is similar to eating a juicy peach. We get to enjoy the fruity celebrity personalities while sucking on the juice of a few tantalizing sex scenes. Here are the celebrity inspirations for each of the characters we are about to meet:
Carol Landis = Jennifer North
Dean Martin = Tony Polar
Judy Garland/Betty Hutton = Neely O’hara
Ethel Merman = Helen Lawson
After we devour the celebrity bits and slurp up all of the good juiciness we are left with the story’s remains… the hard, wrinkled shell that contains the bitter nut; the message that getting old in Hollywood sucks.
With her introductory poem, Jacqueline Susann warns us about the journeys we are about to witness while reading VotD yet our desire for celebrity gossip and sex overwhelm us and we dive right in, letting the story wash over us in waves of hope only to battle a vicious riptide of the reality of beautiful, ambitious, naive young women in 1960’s New York:
“You’ve got to climb to the top of Mount Everest
to reach the Valley of the Dolls
You stand there, waiting for
the rush of exhilaration you thought you’d feel – but
it doesn’t come.
You’re too far away to hear the applause
and take your bows.
And there’s no place left to climb...
…Anne Welles had never meant to start the climb.
Yet, unwittingly, she took her first step
the day she looked around
and said to herself,
‘This is not enough – I want something more.’”…
This “something more” is a common thread that binds the three main characters, Anne Welles, Jennifer North and Neely O’Hara into friendship. Outside of their ambitious career aspirations the pressure to find and marry “the one” is intense and adding to the intensity is the introduction of Helen Lawson. Helen is divorced, loud, brash, and overconfident. At the age of 32, she is considered old and decidedly unsexy by the successful men that surround her. Helen is inserted into the story by Susann like a threat to Anne, Jennifer and Neely that beauty fades with age and if you choose to be independent and don’t marry a successful man by the age of 25 you may end up with a nickname such as Old Ironsides.
Here are some book club questions to ponder as you read through VotD:
• What type is “the one” for Anne? For Neely? For Jennifer? How does the type you chose for them compare to the men they chose for themselves?
• Go back to your youthful early 20’s for this question: which character did you most relate to Anne, Jennifer, Neely or Old Ironsides?
• Could you relate to Anne’s sexual awakening? What was the first time like for you? Was it as awkward and immature as Anne’s? Or was it everything you ever dreamed of?
• What did you think/hope about Allen and Anne?
• What are your thoughts about the evolution of Neely?
• What did you think about the relationship between Maria and Jennifer North?
• While reading VotD are you longing for the simpler requirements of the women in the 1960’s? Or are you grateful for all the opportunity women have today?
• What did you think of Lawrenceville? And Anne’s picturesque house in Lawrenceville? Do you think Anne will change her mind about Lawrenceville as she matures?
Returning to our topic of juicy peaches and bitter nuts, we are working on the potluck list for Nicole’s brunch on February 13th. If you know what you’re going to bring then comment here or post on Facebook. We’ll post the potluck details on the blog next week.
Carol Landis = Jennifer North
Dean Martin = Tony Polar
Judy Garland/Betty Hutton = Neely O’hara
Ethel Merman = Helen Lawson
After we devour the celebrity bits and slurp up all of the good juiciness we are left with the story’s remains… the hard, wrinkled shell that contains the bitter nut; the message that getting old in Hollywood sucks.
With her introductory poem, Jacqueline Susann warns us about the journeys we are about to witness while reading VotD yet our desire for celebrity gossip and sex overwhelm us and we dive right in, letting the story wash over us in waves of hope only to battle a vicious riptide of the reality of beautiful, ambitious, naive young women in 1960’s New York:
“You’ve got to climb to the top of Mount Everest
to reach the Valley of the Dolls
You stand there, waiting for
the rush of exhilaration you thought you’d feel – but
it doesn’t come.
You’re too far away to hear the applause
and take your bows.
And there’s no place left to climb...
…Anne Welles had never meant to start the climb.
Yet, unwittingly, she took her first step
the day she looked around
and said to herself,
‘This is not enough – I want something more.’”…
This “something more” is a common thread that binds the three main characters, Anne Welles, Jennifer North and Neely O’Hara into friendship. Outside of their ambitious career aspirations the pressure to find and marry “the one” is intense and adding to the intensity is the introduction of Helen Lawson. Helen is divorced, loud, brash, and overconfident. At the age of 32, she is considered old and decidedly unsexy by the successful men that surround her. Helen is inserted into the story by Susann like a threat to Anne, Jennifer and Neely that beauty fades with age and if you choose to be independent and don’t marry a successful man by the age of 25 you may end up with a nickname such as Old Ironsides.
Here are some book club questions to ponder as you read through VotD:
• What type is “the one” for Anne? For Neely? For Jennifer? How does the type you chose for them compare to the men they chose for themselves?
• Go back to your youthful early 20’s for this question: which character did you most relate to Anne, Jennifer, Neely or Old Ironsides?
• Could you relate to Anne’s sexual awakening? What was the first time like for you? Was it as awkward and immature as Anne’s? Or was it everything you ever dreamed of?
• What did you think/hope about Allen and Anne?
• What are your thoughts about the evolution of Neely?
• What did you think about the relationship between Maria and Jennifer North?
• While reading VotD are you longing for the simpler requirements of the women in the 1960’s? Or are you grateful for all the opportunity women have today?
• What did you think of Lawrenceville? And Anne’s picturesque house in Lawrenceville? Do you think Anne will change her mind about Lawrenceville as she matures?
Returning to our topic of juicy peaches and bitter nuts, we are working on the potluck list for Nicole’s brunch on February 13th. If you know what you’re going to bring then comment here or post on Facebook. We’ll post the potluck details on the blog next week.
Tuesday, January 18, 2011
Reboot Post ~ January and February Meetings
Our January meeting is this Saturday the 22nd at Scotty's in Vallejo, 11am!
We haven't caught up to books 5-6 of the Sookie series so this meeting will be all about breakfast, future meeting topics and exchanging books. Bring a book or two that you would like to exchange and another book or two that you would like to discuss for future topics. We are on the hunt for fun/interesting books centering around the following topics:
Pirates (June meeting)
Resurrection/Religion (our theme for Spring)
Horse Racing (August meeting)
Here are the RSVP's we have for Scotty's:
Dalila, Angela, Melissa, Gloria, Alice, Ivy, Darla, Gemma
we'll be holding a table so let us know if you are not on the list or if your name is on the list but you can't make it.
Potluck Brunch at Nicole's place is now scheduled for February 13th at 1pm.
Arrange a designated driver and bring your Valley of the Dolls inspired dish/cocktail. We'll start a potluck list within the next week and everyone that RSVP'd will receive the address to Nicole's place too. We are arranging a carpool caravan from Angela's house in Vallejo, here's the list we currently have for the carpool :
Alice, Gloria, Gemma, Melissa, Angela, Jenny
If you don't have time for reading we found the Valley of the Dolls movie on Netflix!
Hope to see you on Saturday at Scotty's!
We haven't caught up to books 5-6 of the Sookie series so this meeting will be all about breakfast, future meeting topics and exchanging books. Bring a book or two that you would like to exchange and another book or two that you would like to discuss for future topics. We are on the hunt for fun/interesting books centering around the following topics:
Pirates (June meeting)
Resurrection/Religion (our theme for Spring)
Horse Racing (August meeting)
Here are the RSVP's we have for Scotty's:
Dalila, Angela, Melissa, Gloria, Alice, Ivy, Darla, Gemma
we'll be holding a table so let us know if you are not on the list or if your name is on the list but you can't make it.
Potluck Brunch at Nicole's place is now scheduled for February 13th at 1pm.
Arrange a designated driver and bring your Valley of the Dolls inspired dish/cocktail. We'll start a potluck list within the next week and everyone that RSVP'd will receive the address to Nicole's place too. We are arranging a carpool caravan from Angela's house in Vallejo, here's the list we currently have for the carpool :
Alice, Gloria, Gemma, Melissa, Angela, Jenny
If you don't have time for reading we found the Valley of the Dolls movie on Netflix!
Hope to see you on Saturday at Scotty's!
Wednesday, December 29, 2010
2011 Meeting Dates Refresher
This post is quick refresher for everyone recovering from the Holiday excess.
Return to Sookie
11am on Saturday January 22, 2011 ~ Sookie Stackhouse, by Charlaine Harris, books 5-6
Hope you like apple fritters!
Scotty's Cafe
1645 Tennessee St
Vallejo, CA 94590
RSVP on FB
Valley of the Dolls by Jacqueline Susann
Dish over Brunch at Nicole's place
1pm on February 13
Oakland, CA
RSVP on FB and we'll email you the address
Stay warm and hydrated and we'll see you soon!
Return to Sookie
11am on Saturday January 22, 2011 ~ Sookie Stackhouse, by Charlaine Harris, books 5-6
Hope you like apple fritters!
Scotty's Cafe
1645 Tennessee St
Vallejo, CA 94590
RSVP on FB
Valley of the Dolls by Jacqueline Susann
Dish over Brunch at Nicole's place
1pm on February 13
Oakland, CA
RSVP on FB and we'll email you the address
Stay warm and hydrated and we'll see you soon!
Tuesday, December 28, 2010
Octowieny Is the Wiener! At-Attention Lemons!
In December, our new found friend and possible (she has to pass our lengthy application process) honorary club member, Amy Sedaris, taught us the following about throwing a good party:
• Send crystal-clear invitations: mostly everyone understood when and where so I’m calling this category a success.
• Have a theme: ours was 70’s Housewife Potluck and we made it look sexy.
• Make a profit: I made $2.50 from the indoor garage sale (where we also sold 'lil porno bunny and a crusty clam!) Garage sale was suggested on page 33 of I Like You. Call me crazy but I’m spending the whole $2.50 on our next book club meeting.
• Feed your guests: we all did this, together, Potluck Style!
• Keep the conversation (and alcohol) flowing: we definitely had tons of laughs and great chemistry.
This hostess fell a bit short of her paparazzi duties and missed excellent photo opportunities of the awards and award ceremony, the complete potluck layout, the 70’s wear, the shoe plant with the trellis. So if you have photos post those on V-Town's FB page too! Well, I'm not one to dwell on excuses, time to reach into the Fuck it! Bucket and forge ahead.
After the Craft and Crap Exchange we presented awards for the Best Pot Luck Dish and the Best 70's Wear. *Drumroll* And the Wiener Is....! Dick-Tot Casserole winning for the ingenious use of hot dogs and for being one of the main centerpieces of attention for the entire evening. The other center of attention and winner of the prize for Best 70's Wear was Nicole in her coc
k print 70's short-shorts, frock and matching earrings.
In true potluck fashion there were so many winners from the Greek Beans, to The Real-Deal Tater Tot Casserole, the Vegans-Need-Love-Too Stuffed Peppers, the Forget-Me-Not Cosmos with the perfect amount of vodka and the Kick-Ass Pomegranate Sangria with the tasty pops of pomegranate and the one-two punch of Triple Sec. I was the real winner, not only because of my garage sale earnings but because I opened my fridge the next day I found that I was well stocked with tasty leftovers, cosmo mixer and a huge bottle of sangria!
• Send crystal-clear invitations: mostly everyone understood when and where so I’m calling this category a success.
• Have a theme: ours was 70’s Housewife Potluck and we made it look sexy.
• Make a profit: I made $2.50 from the indoor garage sale (where we also sold 'lil porno bunny and a crusty clam!) Garage sale was suggested on page 33 of I Like You. Call me crazy but I’m spending the whole $2.50 on our next book club meeting.
• Feed your guests: we all did this, together, Potluck Style!
• Keep the conversation (and alcohol) flowing: we definitely had tons of laughs and great chemistry.
Potluck Dinner included:
What's Your Beef, Stew? pg 254, modified and made delicious by Gloria
Tasty Greek Beans pg 238 by Jenny
Lil' Smokey Cheese Ball pg 181 by Gina
Vegans-Need-Love-Too Stuffed Peppers by Kim
Vegans-Need-Love-Too Stuffed Peppers by Kim
and the featured dishes of the evening:
The Real-Deal Tater-tot Casserole by Alice
The Real-Deal Tater-tot Casserole by Alice
Dick-tot Casserole by Jen W., and I challenge club members to post the puns for this dish on V-Town's FB page.
This hostess fell a bit short of her paparazzi duties and missed excellent photo opportunities of the awards and award ceremony, the complete potluck layout, the 70’s wear, the shoe plant with the trellis. So if you have photos post those on V-Town's FB page too! Well, I'm not one to dwell on excuses, time to reach into the Fuck it! Bucket and forge ahead.After enjoying our bountiful potluck booty we held our first annual White Elephant Craft and Crap Exchange.
Crafts 
Not only did we have Fuck it! Buckets, (thank you Jenny and Dalila!) we also held a White Elephant gift exchange of these featured items:
The Totem Pole (me)
Mrs. Ragsdale (Jenny)
Mrs. Ragsdale (Jenny)
Felt Discs (Nicole)
Lemon Nipples for that hard nipple look (Gina).
Not pictured is Ivy's plant in a sturdy pleather shoe that included a trellis! I'm still kicking myself for not keeping that one in the family. Mrs. Ragsdale and the Felt Discs have a new home nestled safely on my bookshelf.
Award Ceremony
Award Ceremony
After the Craft and Crap Exchange we presented awards for the Best Pot Luck Dish and the Best 70's Wear. *Drumroll* And the Wiener Is....! Dick-Tot Casserole winning for the ingenious use of hot dogs and for being one of the main centerpieces of attention for the entire evening. The other center of attention and winner of the prize for Best 70's Wear was Nicole in her coc
k print 70's short-shorts, frock and matching earrings. In true potluck fashion there were so many winners from the Greek Beans, to The Real-Deal Tater Tot Casserole, the Vegans-Need-Love-Too Stuffed Peppers, the Forget-Me-Not Cosmos with the perfect amount of vodka and the Kick-Ass Pomegranate Sangria with the tasty pops of pomegranate and the one-two punch of Triple Sec. I was the real winner, not only because of my garage sale earnings but because I opened my fridge the next day I found that I was well stocked with tasty leftovers, cosmo mixer and a huge bottle of sangria!
Next year the Award Ceremony will have a category for inspirational culinary art because after this party my culinary art world expanded beyond Hello Kitty bento boxes and into hot dog octopuses and lemon nipples. The lemon nipples even inspired the favorite quote of the evening, "I've already been warped in my perception of zucchinis, bananas, and cucumbers but now I will never look at lemons the same...”
I’ll close this recap with a new Book Club tradition, our cocktail-of-the-month club recipe:
Gloria’s It's-Not-Punch but It-Will-Punch-You Pomegranate Sangria aka Kick-Ass Pomegranate Sangria:
1 bottle red wine (TJ Cabernet)
1 cup Triple Sec
1 cup grapefruit soda
sliced apple
fresh pomegranate seeds
1/2 cup sugar (optional)
1/2 cup sugar (optional)
leave @ room temperature overnight then refrigerate
Never add ice, ever, you will die.
Never add ice, ever, you will die.
~Party transmuted into post by Angela~
Friday, December 3, 2010
Potluck Recipe for Luscious 70’s Housewife Dish
V-Town Book Club PotluckFriday, December 10th
Angela’s House, Vallejo
7:30pm
Favorite question of the week:
Is this a cocktail-of-the-month club?
Our V-Town Book Club Potluck is next week! We are so excited to see everyone and it appears that almost all book club members will attend! Make sure you wear your favorite 70’s housewife outfit to match the theme for the party. If you need inspiration, check out Amy Sedaris’ book “I Like You: Hospitality under the Influence”.
Our discussion topic is David Sedaris’ book “Holidays on Ice”.
We’ll update th
is potluck list as members RSVP:Kim – Quinoa stuffed peppers
Angela – Vodka, spanokopita, apple pie
Dalila – Stabrous' Tzatziki Sauce with Pita Scoops (p. 50) and Mediterranean potatoes
Jen W. – Fruit punch (drink it straight or mix with vodka)
Gina – Smokey Cheese Ball
Nicole – Snowy Balls (and maybe some ambrosia salad)
Gloria - Beef stew and sangria
Jenny - Greek Beans (or Coleslaw of the Dunes)
Melissa - Veggie Tray
BYOB if you prefer wine, beer, or soda.
You may leave a note on the Facebook wall for this event or email Angela.
Tuesday, November 30, 2010
Holidays on Ice
Imagine the boy from A Christmas Story. Now imagine he was born as queer as a three dollar bill in early 1960’s South Carolina as an alcoholic chain-smoking victim of the Feminine Mystique mother and a Greek engineer father who is so detached he is emotionally frigid. Add many siblings, and stir. That’s Holidays on Ice.
If you’ve never read any of David Sedaris’ other essays, or heard him on NPR’s This American Life, I recommend that you prepare a quiet place and an eggnog cocktail heavily laced with brandy before embarking on this reading adventure. I prefer to read it in the tub while enjoying a glass of wine as I find it difficult to refrain from unexpected fits of bursting out laughter, snorting and the inevitable spray of spittle on things around me that comes with enjoying these dark comic vignettes.
This book should be consumed as the perfect antidote to the endless list of mundan
e chores that seemingly become ‘....The Holidays’. On the surface, these stories fit in with traditional holiday themes such as department store Santa’s, family ‘Christmas Greetings!’ form letters, and school winter pageants. However, Sedaris has a knack for recasting each bit of overdone holiday pomp as the absurdly hellish experiences of life that they so often are. It will be impossible for you not to spend the rest of the holiday season having secret chuckles to yourself as you remember some delicious episode of completely inappropriate holiday humor.
See you at Angela's house on December 10th to reminisce about Sookie and laugh over Sedaris.
Leave a comment on this blog or on FB to RSVP.
This blog post was wrapped and delivered by Jen W.
If you’ve never read any of David Sedaris’ other essays, or heard him on NPR’s This American Life, I recommend that you prepare a quiet place and an eggnog cocktail heavily laced with brandy before embarking on this reading adventure. I prefer to read it in the tub while enjoying a glass of wine as I find it difficult to refrain from unexpected fits of bursting out laughter, snorting and the inevitable spray of spittle on things around me that comes with enjoying these dark comic vignettes.
This book should be consumed as the perfect antidote to the endless list of mundan
e chores that seemingly become ‘....The Holidays’. On the surface, these stories fit in with traditional holiday themes such as department store Santa’s, family ‘Christmas Greetings!’ form letters, and school winter pageants. However, Sedaris has a knack for recasting each bit of overdone holiday pomp as the absurdly hellish experiences of life that they so often are. It will be impossible for you not to spend the rest of the holiday season having secret chuckles to yourself as you remember some delicious episode of completely inappropriate holiday humor.See you at Angela's house on December 10th to reminisce about Sookie and laugh over Sedaris.
Leave a comment on this blog or on FB to RSVP.
This blog post was wrapped and delivered by Jen W.
Monday, November 15, 2010
VTown Book Club Cocktail Recipes
Here is the cocktail recipe recap of our November book club meeting:
1 part David Sedaris
1 part Amy Sedaris
2 parts Sookie infused simple syrup
Splash of Vampire
Splash of Werewolf
Shake ingredients together. Strain over ice, serve straight up, add a splash of Sprite on top.
Our November meeting started out gangbusters with everyone arriving right at 6:30. After introductions and we were seated we started out on a confessional, always a good sign, with one member shyly admitting that they have not read the books or the blog and felt weird about showing up to the meeting. Then a cascade of confessions poured in as many members disclosed that they have not read the books and/or the blog. With that information we were apprehensive about how to proceed with the meeting but also glad everyone showed up willing to try to participate in the discussion.
Luckily, another member arrived armed with knowledge through Book 4 and bearing copies of questions from the blog. A quick survey was conducted and we found that we were all game to apply the limited knowledge we each had to attempt to answer the questions.
Here are a few of the questions/responses we got from the meeting:
After dinner we continued our conversation under the night sky, gathering around the beautiful 40’ tall outdoor stone fireplace in the Suisun courtyard. Framed by firelight, one member happily noted that we met for over two hours without touching on the topics of kids, husbands, boyfriends, jobs or real estate. Although those topics are important and central to our everyday lives it was wonderful to be out with a group of women talking about books, history, parties and food while enjoying each other’s company and basking in a welcome night off from our everyday concerns.
We found time to preview Amy Sedaris’ book, I Like You: Hospitality under the Influence and discussed the recipes and décor that will be fun to share at the next meeting in December. We also found that we have a great mix of talents to contribute and share with one another; each member adding complimentary flavors of knowledge, skills and experience to the book club cocktail. The December potluck meeting is already taking shape, we are excited by all the possible threads of conversation and we can't wait to finally get everyone together.
Recipe for this post was provided by Angela:
1 part Ketel One
2 parts Tonic
Shaken, strained over ice, lime garnish.
1 part David Sedaris
1 part Amy Sedaris
2 parts Sookie infused simple syrup
Splash of Vampire
Splash of Werewolf
Shake ingredients together. Strain over ice, serve straight up, add a splash of Sprite on top.
Our November meeting started out gangbusters with everyone arriving right at 6:30. After introductions and we were seated we started out on a confessional, always a good sign, with one member shyly admitting that they have not read the books or the blog and felt weird about showing up to the meeting. Then a cascade of confessions poured in as many members disclosed that they have not read the books and/or the blog. With that information we were apprehensive about how to proceed with the meeting but also glad everyone showed up willing to try to participate in the discussion.
Luckily, another member arrived armed with knowledge through Book 4 and bearing copies of questions from the blog. A quick survey was conducted and we found that we were all game to apply the limited knowledge we each had to attempt to answer the questions.
Here are a few of the questions/responses we got from the meeting:
- If vampires cry bloody tears then why don't they have permanent pink eye? "Because pink eye is a virus/bacteria." Ok snarkety-snarks. The blog posters are now on alert and will attempt to be extra careful about editing (after this post). We even have an untapped editor in the club!
- What song would you choose for Tara and Sookie to dance to at the Supe club? Without question, "Tainted Love".
- El.....er Bubba sparked some great conversation about Elvis sightings and the dangers of bringing back the dead. We got a new question from our discussion about Elvis’ role in the series: "If you were a vampire and had a chance to bring back your favorite celebrity from the dead, would you do it?"
- Why is Sookie mad at Bill for not financially supporting her? One member had a compelling answer, she believes that Sookie is only mad because Bill is supporting the Bellefleurs, Sookie would not feel this way if the Bellefleurs were not involved.
- Out of six members we had two for Team Alcide, two for Team Eric and two for Team Bill.
- What cocktail represents Sookie? While it did not surprise us that Sookie liked a champagne cocktail, we all agreed that it was not her signature drink. We came to consensus on the Sunkissed Martini because it's sweet, a little frothy on top, not high end and packs a punch, here's the recipe:
1 part Mandarin Vodka
1 part Red Bull
2 parts Peach Schnapps
Splash of Orange Juice
Shaken, strained over ice, served straight up.
After dinner we continued our conversation under the night sky, gathering around the beautiful 40’ tall outdoor stone fireplace in the Suisun courtyard. Framed by firelight, one member happily noted that we met for over two hours without touching on the topics of kids, husbands, boyfriends, jobs or real estate. Although those topics are important and central to our everyday lives it was wonderful to be out with a group of women talking about books, history, parties and food while enjoying each other’s company and basking in a welcome night off from our everyday concerns.
We found time to preview Amy Sedaris’ book, I Like You: Hospitality under the Influence and discussed the recipes and décor that will be fun to share at the next meeting in December. We also found that we have a great mix of talents to contribute and share with one another; each member adding complimentary flavors of knowledge, skills and experience to the book club cocktail. The December potluck meeting is already taking shape, we are excited by all the possible threads of conversation and we can't wait to finally get everyone together.
Recipe for this post was provided by Angela:
1 part Ketel One
2 parts Tonic
Shaken, strained over ice, lime garnish.
Monday, November 1, 2010
Supe of the Day
It's a new year in Bon Temps and Sookie makes a resolution: "I just hope to not be beaten up...I don't want to go to the hospital. I don't want to see a doctor...so my resolution is to stay out of trouble." Good thing New Year’s resolutions are made to be broken because trouble is to be had along with a tall drink of our favorite Viking vampire, Eric Northman.
A storm of supernatural activity crackles and spins out of control in Dead to the World. Witches’, weres’, shifters’ and vampires’ chest-bumping pride and bank accounts get everyone sucked into the tornado. Who knew vampires could have a curse laid on them? Did it surprise you that a feline culture became inbred? We are presented with so much activity in this book we probably need some vampire blood to stay on course.
A storm of supernatural activity crackles and spins out of control in Dead to the World. Witches’, weres’, shifters’ and vampires’ chest-bumping pride and bank accounts get everyone sucked into the tornado. Who knew vampires could have a curse laid on them? Did it surprise you that a feline culture became inbred? We are presented with so much activity in this book we probably need some vampire blood to stay on course.
Wednesday, October 27, 2010
Bon Temps Cocktail Hour ~ November Meeting
Greetings Fangbangers and Tourists and others innocently sucked into Sookie's world of Supes,
Here is the information about our November meeting:
6:30pm on Friday November 12, 2010~ Sookie Stackhouse, by Charlaine Harris, books 3-4
Cast Iron Grill & Bar
700 Main Street, Suite 104
Suisun, CA
http://castirongrillandbar.com/
At this meeting we will:
Here is the information about our November meeting:
6:30pm on Friday November 12, 2010~ Sookie Stackhouse, by Charlaine Harris, books 3-4
Cast Iron Grill & Bar
700 Main Street, Suite 104
Suisun, CA
http://castirongrillandbar.com/
At this meeting we will:
- discuss the Sookie Series
- plan the December meeting/potluck using Amy Sedaris as our guide
- exchange books and ideas for future meetings
- decide on the signature cocktails for each of the following characters: Sookie, Bill, Eric, Pam, and Alcide
~
Book 3 ~ Club Dead / Man Buffet in Mississippi
Team Bill vs. Team Alcide? Or Team Eric? Sookie's got choices to make. Oh, if only we were in her shoes! Who would you choose?
• Do you like the promise of sunshine kisses and domestic bliss of Team Alcide?
• Or the sexy Corvette danger and political power plays of Team Eric?
• Or is Team Bill more your thing with the promise of passionate sex and two quaint homes that book-end a cemetery?
For anyone reluctantly succumbing to peer pressure to read book 1, then trudging through book 2, we promise that Club Dead is the light at the end of the tunnel. Charlaine Harris' writing style is finally making sense, her characters are 'fleshing' out, we have fully bought into Sookie. We understand Sookie and the conflict that her heart and mind are playing out: one side of her craves domestic bliss then the next moment she takes every risk to protect those she loves/those that she feels deserve to be loved.
After reading the first few chapters of Club Dead do you feel Bill deserves to be loved? In Chapter 1, did your heart break a little for Sookie when she expectantly went over to Bill's house for some frolicking good times and instead found Bill focused on the computer and drinking a bottle of synthetic blood type B? What is behind Sookie's motivation to help Eric find Bill? Is she driven by revenge, curiosity, love, or hoping for a second chance at love?
Here are some questions that popped up during Club Dead:
• Do you like the promise of sunshine kisses and domestic bliss of Team Alcide?
• Or the sexy Corvette danger and political power plays of Team Eric?
• Or is Team Bill more your thing with the promise of passionate sex and two quaint homes that book-end a cemetery?
For anyone reluctantly succumbing to peer pressure to read book 1, then trudging through book 2, we promise that Club Dead is the light at the end of the tunnel. Charlaine Harris' writing style is finally making sense, her characters are 'fleshing' out, we have fully bought into Sookie. We understand Sookie and the conflict that her heart and mind are playing out: one side of her craves domestic bliss then the next moment she takes every risk to protect those she loves/those that she feels deserve to be loved.
After reading the first few chapters of Club Dead do you feel Bill deserves to be loved? In Chapter 1, did your heart break a little for Sookie when she expectantly went over to Bill's house for some frolicking good times and instead found Bill focused on the computer and drinking a bottle of synthetic blood type B? What is behind Sookie's motivation to help Eric find Bill? Is she driven by revenge, curiosity, love, or hoping for a second chance at love?
Here are some questions that popped up during Club Dead:
- What did you think of El... er... Bubba's vampire role?
- Do you trust Eric?
- In books 1 & 2 Sookie consistently asserted her independence to Bill, taking offense when he offered to open an account for her at Tara Tog's. In Club Dead she is now getting mad at Bill for not offering financial support to fix her gravel driveway ? Why do you think Sookie is inconsistent in her expectations of Bill?
- One of the connections between Sookie and Alcide, besides physical attraction, is that they have recently experienced being left for another. Sookie seems to need the truth. Alcide seems to still need his Ex. Have you ever been left for someone else? Did either characters’ actions or emotions ring more true to your experiences?
- To have sex with Alcide or not to have sex with Alcide? After being dumped by Bill, if you were sharing an apartment for the weekend with Alcide what choice would you make?
- How did you feel when Sookie ordered her first champagne cocktail at the Supe bar? Did you think that she was about to find her signature cocktail or do you think another cocktail represents her more?
Tara!
• How did you feel about Tara and Sookie in this book?
• Were you relieved that Tara showed up?
• Did you get embarrassed by the “Love is a Battlefield” dance? Or did you think, Hmmm, I would have chosen them to dance to __________.
• Do you think Harris chose “Love is a Battlefield” to symbolize the theme of Club Dead?
• Have you ever had a few to many and danced ridiculously at a bar? Maybe reliving your very own version of Coyote Ugly?
Sookie is developing a worldliness about her through her many Supe associations. She is discovering a new moral compass; the right and wrong parts of her personality appear to be bending and bowing towards selfishness. For example, in book 1, she saves Bill in the parking lot because he shouldn’t be wronged. In book 3, she’s hiding a body. Those two actions would not be next to each other on Kohlberg’s stages of moral development. Question~ Was Sookie prevented from truly identifying her beliefs when she tried to blend into her community?
One thing that is fantastic about vampire stories is that each author or screen writer gets to make up their own rules. Examples:
• Twilight’s vampires don’t sleep, Sookie Stackhouse’s need rest
• Anne Rice’s & True Blood’s vampires have sex with each other, but the Stackhouse books say that vampire/vampire coupling is frowned upon. Who knew vampires frowned upon any sex?
• What do you make of Harris’ vamp sexual impasse?
And some general points to ponder as we recall Club Dead:
- Have you ever experienced a situation where you were not thinking for yourself and were surprised by your actions?
- If vampires cry bloody tears then why don't they have permanent pink eye?
- If you are fan of the HBO series True Blood…are you enjoying Pam in the books?
- How many bottles of Tru Blood did you see on Halloween weekend? Who tried it?
All these questions are making us antsy for another meeting! Our-cocktails-in-Suisun meeting is quickly approaching, hope to see you there!
This post was coagulated by Kim and Angela
Monday, October 18, 2010
Bill, Eric & Sam Donuts!
*Here is Kim's blog post about our meeting!
Fang-tastic! Our meeting was cozy and delicious on all fronts!
Two areas that remained cloudy...
What is going on with the vampire virus theory?
The book states that vampires push the story that they have a virus that screws up their metabolism and makes them allergic to sun, silver and garlic.
Are they saying that they are alive with a virus?
If they are dead, who cares that they have a virus and why would they want to be perceived as "sick"?
Are they trying to get sympathy from humans?
Ms. Harris brings up HIV/AIDS and race/creature relations a few times. Is she asking us to confront what we think of as US or OTHER? Or is she weaving little pieces of storylines into an eventual vampire-human war?
While we have found out that vampires 'come' during sex...we still do not know if they ejaculate. If they do ejaculate, will it be blood like their tears?
Since it didn't seem humanly possible to talk about the books without talking about True Blood...here is what we think they each do better:
The series fleshes (heehee) out more characters. God Bless Alan Ball for bringing Tara and Lafayette into high relief. Who didn't cringe at the end of Season 1 when you see that painted toenail of a dead person and assume Lafayette was out of your life forever?
All good Northern Californians dread religious oppression...and the Series brings it on like a front of Southern humidity. Tara's Mom and the Fellowship of the Sun promote Jesus, conformity and close the avenues of happiness to anything that doesn't walk us down the aisle. Good story telling!
We also LOVE the series for going into the makings of Bill and Eric. It brings in more texture and torture.
What does Ms. Harris do better? Her Sookie is a better guide. She is more mentally penetrating, philosophical, and not such an erratic air-head. We understand how dismissed she has been by her entire community and can cheer her on as she finds her strength as a telepath and stops letting others' view of her affect her happiness. Book Sookie is also a lot more sexual and pounces around openly in her sexual fantasies.
Question ~ If Bill, Eric and Sam were donuts what would they be?
Bill ~ Creme filled Maple Bar
Eric ~ Jelly Donut with a pair of hand-cuffs
Sam ~ Strawberry Sprinkle Cake
Right?
Anti-spoiler ALERT! Do not pick up book 5 and read the back! I just did this yesterday at Borders and now have information I have to hold in for months. Agony!
Just began Book 4 last night...can't wait for our next meeting!!!!
Fang-tastic! Our meeting was cozy and delicious on all fronts!
Two areas that remained cloudy...
What is going on with the vampire virus theory?
The book states that vampires push the story that they have a virus that screws up their metabolism and makes them allergic to sun, silver and garlic.
Are they saying that they are alive with a virus?
If they are dead, who cares that they have a virus and why would they want to be perceived as "sick"?
Are they trying to get sympathy from humans?
Ms. Harris brings up HIV/AIDS and race/creature relations a few times. Is she asking us to confront what we think of as US or OTHER? Or is she weaving little pieces of storylines into an eventual vampire-human war?
While we have found out that vampires 'come' during sex...we still do not know if they ejaculate. If they do ejaculate, will it be blood like their tears?
Since it didn't seem humanly possible to talk about the books without talking about True Blood...here is what we think they each do better:
The series fleshes (heehee) out more characters. God Bless Alan Ball for bringing Tara and Lafayette into high relief. Who didn't cringe at the end of Season 1 when you see that painted toenail of a dead person and assume Lafayette was out of your life forever?
All good Northern Californians dread religious oppression...and the Series brings it on like a front of Southern humidity. Tara's Mom and the Fellowship of the Sun promote Jesus, conformity and close the avenues of happiness to anything that doesn't walk us down the aisle. Good story telling!
We also LOVE the series for going into the makings of Bill and Eric. It brings in more texture and torture.
What does Ms. Harris do better? Her Sookie is a better guide. She is more mentally penetrating, philosophical, and not such an erratic air-head. We understand how dismissed she has been by her entire community and can cheer her on as she finds her strength as a telepath and stops letting others' view of her affect her happiness. Book Sookie is also a lot more sexual and pounces around openly in her sexual fantasies.
Question ~ If Bill, Eric and Sam were donuts what would they be?
Bill ~ Creme filled Maple Bar
Eric ~ Jelly Donut with a pair of hand-cuffs
Sam ~ Strawberry Sprinkle Cake
Right?
Anti-spoiler ALERT! Do not pick up book 5 and read the back! I just did this yesterday at Borders and now have information I have to hold in for months. Agony!
Just began Book 4 last night...can't wait for our next meeting!!!!
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