The Paige Turner Book Club

The timeless Shakespeare love story. Some of us had to read Romeo and Juliet in high school, others read it for the first time this past month...but all of us were familiar with the story. How can you not be?

What makes Shakespeare so wonderful to read is this: he can play linguistic gymnastics with a familiar story. In Romeo and Juliet, the chorus tells you the end of the story right off the bat. "A pair of star-cross'd lovers take their life." But then you start reading, and laughing, and hoping... and becoming drawn into the comedy and drama of the story. It was very fun for our group to re-visit this story as adults... because we can read between the lines to get all the bad jokes! *grin*

Our conversation jumped all over the place (as usual), but we touched on all the major themes and topics of the play. Also, many of us associate "Romeo and Juliet" with the Baz Luhrman movie. It was interesting how we kept comparing what we read in the play to what we remember seeing in the movie. We love the Montagues and aren't really big fans of the Capulets. Tybalt is lame. Benvolio rocks. Romeo and Juliet have it bad. Paris really gets a raw deal in this story. And Friar Laurence wasn't doing anyone any favors with his meddling. Two of our favorite quotes: "You kiss by the book" and "By my heel I care not."

We concluded the night by finding a 9th grade final exam for Romeo and Juliet and testing our knowledge. I'm proud to report that we passed with flying colors! Whoo hoo!

Next month will be a bit of a treat. We are reading "The Meaning of Night" by Michael Cox, and will have a murder mystery theme to our next gathering. I've never done one of these before, so I think it will be lots of fun!

Till then... Happy Reading!!

Posted by Regina at 4:46 PM | 0 comments  

After a busy Labor Day weekend, it was nice to sit down and chat with my book club pals. We were a slightly smaller group this month, and we stayed remarkably on topic. Even with some later arrivals and opening chit-chat, we were able to get through our thoughts in time to see the Nadal/Monfils match of the US Open. Not bad, girls! Not bad.

Our basic synopsis of "While the Daffodils Danced" -- it feels like a Lifetime movie written down. You can see major plot points coming, and everything wraps up in nice little bows. (While some readers may find that annoying, I think others don't mind.)

I loved the minor characters in this book. We thought most of the major characters remained the same throughout the story, but the journeys of the mother and father were quite beautiful. Another minor character that we all loved was Nurse Sarah. She comforts Cara just after she gives birth to the baby girl she is giving up for adoption. She tells Cara, "What a wonderful thing, to give someone life." As a group, we discussed adoption, and how this was a beautiful way to frame that decision.

One thing we giggled about: finding the chapter title in the chapter. You could make it a little game with yourself as you read. Kind of like waiting to eat your popcorn at the movies until the reason for the title happens. Example: In FoTR, halfway through the movie at the council meeting in Rivendale, Elrond makes the proclamation, "So be it. Nine companions. The Fellowship of the Ring." --> You are now free to eat your popcorn!


Looking ahead: Our next meeting is on Tuesday, October 13th. We will discuss Romeo and Juliet by Shakespeare.

November's meeting has been moved to Tuesday, November 17th. We will discuss The Meaning of Night by Michael Cox. I'm working on some fun things for this night. You won't want to miss it...or be late!

Posted by Regina at 8:36 PM | 0 comments  

On Sunday, I hosted a cookout for the Paige Turners, and company. We had a full menu: burgers, grilled caesar salad (sometimes with ranch), greek pasta salad, potato salad, fruit, veggies…and dessert! Key lime pie and brownies. (Thank you everyone for all the yummy goodness). No one left hungry. Well done!

We sat and chatted. We played Balderdash in special honor of Sarah. (We missed you!) And then we moved inside to talk about important things. Like lists. And M.A.S.H. (Not the show, the game. Poor Kate. She ended up with most of the yucky options. But at least she got her dream job!) We wrapped up the day with an almost-finished-game of Disney Trivial pursuit.

Of course, the cutest part of the day was Charlotte. When we were eating lunch, she and Gallaudett got to know each other. They were chasing each other around and around the desk. My dog is 15 years old. He doesn’t interact with anything. In fact, he usually runs away. But for some reason, he fell in love with Charlotte. It was so cute. Then Charlotte discovered the BIG teddy bear. Partially because Erinn attacked her with it (good job). But she loved playing with that thing. It made her ecstatically happy.

And I love when people are happy.

I hope everyone else enjoyed the day as much as I did.

Looking ahead: Our next meeting is on September 8th. We are discussing While the Daffodils Danced by Cathie LaMarsh. Happy Reading!

Posted by Regina at 2:27 PM | 0 comments  

Our book club meeting this month was a casualty of summer schedules and Harry Potter. Of our nine girls, four came to the meeting, and only two had the chance to read the book. But we still had a lovely time, even with a smaller group.

Katie and I were able to talk about our reactions to the book. We both enjoyed reading it, but also both were of the opinion that it would make a perfect “bathroom” or “leave it in the car” book. There really isn’t an overarching plot, nor does the book grip you in such a way that you can’t put it down. The book is a conglomeration of little stories and filler chapters, and each one wraps up nicely before moving on. If the rest of the series is like this first book, we can understand why it has been translated to the small screen as a TV show. But the heroine is likable, and can be quite hilarious at times with her matter-of-fact approach to life and case solving. So for those whose schedules got the better of them this past month, this one is worth reading. Keep it in your car or on your dresser for those *cough* slow *cough* moments in your day. They’re bound to happen….sometime. :-)

The overarching lesson this month was: IPhones are quite nifty, and camel spiders are big and creepy.

Looking ahead: I know July is historically our slowest month, but after our meeting a few weeks ago I’ve been brainstorming. I’m planning some different things for the fall. Keep your eyes on your mailboxes. Good things are in your future.

Upcoming meetings/events: We will have no book discussion for August. Enjoy a reading vacation! We will have a cookout on Sunday, August 23rd starting at 1:30. I’ll provide the burgers/buns/ and the porch. Bring your family and a side dish or dessert, and let’s just enjoy the afternoon. Our next book discussion will be on Tuesday, September 8th. Stay tuned for more details.

Posted by Regina at 2:31 PM | 1 comments  

I must admit that I was surprised by our discussion this month. Our book was “The Shack” by William Young. I put it on the list because I kept hearing about it: from various friends, from church programs, from Amazon, etc. In fact, the Amazon description is as follows:

Mackenzie Allen Philips' youngest daughter, Missy, has been abducted during a family vacation and evidence that she may have been brutally murdered is found in an abandoned shack deep in the Oregon wilderness. Four years later in the midst of his Great Sadness, Mack receives a suspicious note, apparently from God, inviting him back to that shack for a weekend. Against his better judgment, he arrives at the shack on a wintry afternoon and walks back into his darkest nightmare. What he finds there will change Mack's world forever. In a world where religion seems to grow increasingly irrelevant "The Shack" wrestles with the timeless question, "Where is God in a world so filled with unspeakable pain?" The answers Mack gets will astound you and perhaps transform you as much as it did him. You'll want everyone you know to read this book!

So I dutifully searched and found some discussion questions, and eagerly waited for our Paige Turner discussion.

And I was surprised.

"The Shack" is a polarizing book. Some readers really loved it, and others truly did not. More than not liking the writing style or the pacing or the (insert literary element here), they were genuinely bothered by the content -- The journey travelled and conclusions reached by the main character.

So our discussion that night went to some places I never would have guessed. But you know, that’s the great thing about our book club. I’m genuinely glad that we were able to talk about the different things we liked and didn’t like. I’m glad that our little group provides an atmosphere of openness and trust so that people can talk about negative responses and reactions. Kudos to us. (I hope everyone else felt the same sort of atmosphere I did.)

And in coming back to the book. There’s a lot to love. One of the things we all enjoyed: a recurring phrase used by the character portraying God. “I am especially fond of ____.” God says this about group of Californian Euro-funk musicians who have yet to be born, of Missy (the child murdered in the beginning of the book, of Mack (the main character), and of several other people along the way. In fact, God tells Mack to pass this message on to his best friend. When Mack gives the message, it’s incredibly apparent that these words touch a very deep place in his friend’s heart. And why wouldn’t they? As a group, we all agreed that this particular element is both true and encouraging. No matter who you are, or how you view yourself: God is especially fond of you.

I won’t list the things that gave us pause. Those worms can stay canned. Suffice it to say that “The Shack” reads like a parable. Therefore, there’s a lot of pictures, statements, and conversations can raise a lot of questions. So, dear reader, if you do pick up this book and you find that in reading it you have questions…please feel free to contact one of us and start a conversation. (You can find my email address on my profile page.)

For the Paige Turners – our next book is “The No. 1 Ladies Detective Agency” by Alexander McCall Smith. Big surprise, they’re making this one into a movie! (Who’s surprised? Anyone? *wink*)

We’ll meet to discuss it on July 14th. (A date much anticipated by Harry Potter Fans….the sixth movie releases that day at midnight. Whoo hoo! You coming?)

Posted by Regina at 3:18 PM | 2 comments  

Our group was a little smaller this month, but we were not lacking in discussion! Leave it to Shakespeare to whip our little group into a frenzy.

We opened our meeting with something a little different: a quiz! (I wish I could take credit for crafting it, but I just stumbled upon in during an internet search for good discussion starters.) But whoever *did* draft the quiz certainly had fun with making up the multiple choice answers. For example, one of the potential answers for “Why did Claudio refuse to marry Hero?” was “She smelled like a rotten orange.” Pretty funny stuff. Mandy squeaked out a victory and won the super cool prize of glow in the dark flip-flops. I found them at Michaels, and they’re pretty fun!

I don’t think it’s possible to read a Shakespeare play and *not* have something to talk about. And this particular play has lots of quippy lines and sensational characters. After laughing at chatting, we also watched the Kenneth Branaugh version of the movie. It stays very close to the text of play, although we were disappointed that only the first and last lines of this interaction were included in the movie:

Dogberry Marry, sir, they have committed false report; moreover, they have spoken untruths; secondarily, they are slanders; sixth and lastly, they have belied a lady; thirdly, they have verified unjust things; and, to conclude, they are lying knaves.
Don Pedro First, I ask thee what they have done; thirdly, I ask thee what's their offence; sixth and lastly, why they are committed; and, to conclude, what you lay to their charge.
Claudio Rightly reasoned, and in his own division: and, by my troth, there's one meaning well suited.
Don Pedro Who have you offended, masters, that you are thus bound to your answer? this learned constable is too cunning to be understood: what's your offence?

For me personally, watching the movie dramatically impacted my view of one of the main characters. But I’ll save my thoughts on that for a Leakey Faucet post.

For this post, I will simply say adieu.

Thanks for a great meeting everyone. Next month we will meet on June 9th to discuss The Shack by William Young.

Posted by Regina at 3:57 PM | 0 comments  

The best moments in reading are when you come across something - a thought, a feeling, a way of looking at things - that you thought special, particular to you. And here it is, set down by someone else, a person you've never met, maybe even someone long gone. And it's as if a hand has come out, and taken yours.

~ The History Boys.

Posted by Regina at 10:19 PM | 0 comments