Past list view

Led by Kris.

We will be reading Shattered Dreams: My Life as a Polygamist's Wife by Irene Spencer.

Just as A Mormon Mother is the standout memoir of a 19th-century polygamous woman's life, this autobiography offers the compelling voice of a contemporary plural wife's experiences. Daughter of a second wife, Spencer was raised strictly in the Principle as it was lived secretly and illegally by fringe communities of Mormon fundamentalists?groups that split off from the LDS Church when it abandoned polygamy more than a century ago. In spite of her mother's warnings and the devotion of a boyfriend with monogamist intentions, Spencer followed her religious convictions?that living in polygamy was essential for eternal salvation?and became a second wife herself at the age of 16 in 1953. It's hard to tell which is more devastating in this memoir: the strains of husband-sharing with?ultimately?nine other wives, or the unremitting poverty that came with maintaining so many households and 56 children. Spencer's writing is lively and full of engaging dialogue, and her life is nothing short of astonishing. After 28 years of polygamous marriage, Spencer has lived the last 19 years in monogamy. Her story will be emotional and shocking, but many readers will resonate with the universal question the memoir raises: how to reconcile inherited religious beliefs when they grate against social norms and the deepest desires of the heart.

Please bring a small dish to share. Please state in your rsvp what you will be bringing. Make sure not to sign up for an item if the number has been filled by others.

(2) drinks for 10 people
(3) dessert
(2) salad
(2) fruit
(4) appetizer
(4) dish with protein (including vegetarian)

Time Tested has copies of this book. They give us a 10% discount.

Led by Christine.

We will be reading Crescent by Diana Abu-Jaber. You can find recipes, info about the author, and discussion questions at the following link: http://www.wwnorton.com/rgguides/crescent.htm. Please print a copy of the discussion questions and bring them to the meetup if you wish.

"An Arab-American novel as delicious as Like Water for Chocolate, Diana Abu-Jaber weaves with spellbinding magic a multidimensional love story set in the Arab-American community of Los Angeles.

Thirty-nine-year-old Sirine, never married, lives with a devoted Iraqi-immigrant uncle and an adoring dog named King Babar. She works as a chef in a Lebanese restaurant, her passions aroused only by the preparation of food?until an unbearably handsome Arabic literature professor starts dropping by for a little home cooking. Falling in love brings Sirene's whole heart to a boil?stirring up memories of her parents and questions about her identity as an Arab American.

Written in a lush, lyrical style reminiscent of The God of Small Things, infused with the flavors and scents of Middle Eastern food, and spiced with history and fable, Crescent is a sensuous love story and a gripping tale of risk and commitment."

Please bring either a food that reminds you of love (i.e. something mom used to make or romantic love) in honor of Valentine?s Day or one of the recipes from the book.

Join us for a night with Geraldine Brooks as part of the California Lecture Series.

We will eat at Frank Fat's for dinner before the lecture. The address is: 806 L Street, Sacramento, CA 95814 and phone is: 442-7092. If you can join us for dinner, please write "dinner" next to your rsvp by Sunday, 2/3, so that I can make reservations. We will meet for dinner at 5:15. If you will arrive later than 5:30, let me know if you would like us to order anything off the menu for you http://www.fatsrestaurants.com/frankfats/. We'll probably do "family style."

7:30 is when the lecture starts. If you are meeting us at the theatre, please meet us at 7.

We will attend the 7:10 showing. If you can't meet us for dinner, please meet us at the box office at 6:45. We will go into the theater by 6:55. If you arrive later than 6:55, please meet us inside.

Those of you who can make it, please join us for dinner and/or drinks starting at 5:15 at Riverside Clubhouse: 2633 Riverside Blvd, 95814. Their phone # is: 448-9988. (We will be there until about 6:30 if you want to join us late.) If you are planning to make it out to dinner, please update your rsvp and write "dinner" by Tuesday night so that I can make reservations for us.

Please make sure to check out this site on Thursday to make sure nothing has changed.

I'm sure we could all use a laugh instead of a cry around the holidays. So, in the spirit of the season, an alternative book has been selected for December. Instead of "Shattered Dreams" we will be reading "Holidays On Ice" by David Sedaris. "Shattered Dreams" will be slotted for the new year.

Review:
Holidays on Ice is a collection of three previously published stories matched with three newer ones, all, of course, on a Christmas theme. David Sedaris's darkly playful humor is another common thread through the book, worming its way through "Seasons Greetings to Our Friends and Family!!!" a chipper suburban Christmas letter that spirals dizzily out of control, and "Front Row Center with Thaddeus Bristol," a vicious theatrical review of children's Christmas pageants. As always, Sedaris's best work is his sharply observed nonfiction, notably in "Dinah, the Christmas Whore," the tale of a memorable Christmas during which the young Sedaris learns to see his family in a new light. Worth the price of the book alone is the hilarious "SantaLand Diaries," Sedaris's chronicle of his time working as an elf at Macy's, covering everything from the preliminary group lectures ("You are not a dancer. If you were a real dancer you wouldn't be here. You're an elf and you're going to wear panties like an elf.") to the perils of inter-elf flirtation. Along the way, he paints a funny and sad portrait of the way the countless parents who pass through SantaLand are too busy creating an Experience to really pay attention to their children. In a sly way, it carries a holiday message all its own. Read it aloud to the adults after the kids have gone to bed. --Ali Davis