November 2012

Tonight we met at Schepp's Southside to discuss the book The Last Van Gogh by Alyson Richman. Those who read the book found it interesting.  It was about a  doctor, his young daughter, and son, who treated Van Gogh with herbs for the dark periods he went through. The story was so interesting to some it made them look at Van Gogh's paintings online so they could actually see the pictures talked about in this book. 

We are going to meet next month on the 11th at Hunan's. Linda E. has suggested we read Peaches for Father Francis by Joanne Harris. This is the sequel to the book Chocolat. We will have our $10 gift exchange as well.

Kelsey, Linda E., and Joan

Antionette, Pat, Paula, and Linda B.

September 2012

Last night we met at Arris' Cafe to dicuss the book BETWEEN SHADES OF GRAY  by Ruta Septys.  The book tells a story of the extermination of the Baltic people during WW II by Lenin. The narrator of the story is a fictional girl who tries to document what is happening to her family through her art. This is a heart wrenching story, but one worth reading. All who read the book said it was excellent.

We will meet next month on Tuesday, October 2 at El Espolon to discuss THE SECRET LIFE OF CEE CEE WILKES by Diane Chamberlain.

August 2012

Pickwick members met last night at MiTolteca to discuss the August book, "Cee Cee Honeycutt" by Beth Hoffman.  All loved the book. It is about a young girl names, CeeCee, who after the death of her mother goes to live with an aunt in Savannah. The characters in the book were vivid and real. Joan compared it to a combination of "The Help" and "The Girl on Tradd Street". During dinner Pat told us a few stories of her educational trip to Costa Rica. We all decided not to go on any future trips if afforded the opportunity. Antionette looked rested after spending almost 60 days on a motorcycle during the summer. This was our first meeting since Terri moved and we all missed her a lot. Our next meeting is Sept. 4th at 5pm at Arris Cafe. The book is "Between the Shades of Gray". NOT to be mixed up with "Shades of Gray". See everyone there!

Not Saying Goodbye

I would like to personally thank Terri for starting this book club so many years ago.  I have been blessed to have been invited to spend one night a month with such wonderful people.  Last night we said, hope to see you soon and not goodbye to Terri as she leaves us to begin a new chapter in her life.  Terri will be moving to St. Charles to be the new principal to a K-2 building in Wright City.  We wish her the best of luck and hope she can join us on occasion.  In the meantime, we will miss her in our deep conversations about the books we will read, the friendly conversations of day to day, the knowledge she shares with us, and friendships we all share with her. 

Good luck to you Terri!  Hope to see you soon!

June 2012

We met at the lovely home of Linda Eisinger to watch the movie Sarah's Key.  We had read the book earlier and was delighted to learn that a movie had been made.  Linda had seen the movie and recommended us to see it and so the idea was born to watch it together.

Before the movie began, we had delicious treats.  Linda provided sandwiches and cupcakes from Chez Monet (Jefferson City) and the rest of us brought dishes to share.  You can see our wonderful spread and get a peek at Linda's home.

Yummy food at Linda's house

Kristin Scott Thomas plays Julia, a journalist who is writing a piece for a French magazine on the Bel d'Hiv roundup of Jews in 1942.  She does a wonderful job playing an American who speaks fluent French.  The movie moves back and forth from 1942 to 2009 as the film tries to capture the horrific events of that time.  The plot is harrowing, with enough shocking scenes to make you feel some of the trauma the French Jews endured.

Linda, Joan and Pat

Joan, Pat, Kelsey, Linda (hidden) and Linda

After the movie discussion, Pat reminded us of these words:

"First They Came for the Jews"
By Pastor Niemoller

  First they came for the Jews and I did not speak out because I was not a Jew.

Then they came for the Communists and I did not speak out because I was not a Communist.

Then they came for the trade unionists and I did not speak out because I was not a trade unionist.

Then they came for me and there was no one left to speak out for me. 

Terri, Kelsey, Linda, Pat, Linda, Linda and Joan

 

May 2012

The book club met at El Jalisco's in Jefferson City on a beautiful mid Spring evening.  We sat outdoors and enjoyed each other's company.  Linda presented a gift to Terri as she is moving to St. Charles in June.  The gift was a charm for her Pandora bracelet.  She was recognized by the group as a founding member of the book club.  Terri says she will make plans to come to a few meetings in the future.

The book of discussion was My Week with Marilyn Monroe.  Terri's response was that the movie was much better than the book.  Those who read the book said that the book was flat, and did not create a very interesting portrayal of Marilyn.  Considering the author was 23 years old at the time of the setting, it is likely he did not see the significance of making of the movie and his role in it.  Our opinion:  stick to the movie.

Next month we will meet at Linda's to see the movie Sarah's Key.  We read the book earlier in the year.  We will meet at 5:00 on June 5 at Linda's house in JC.

Antoinette, Paula, Joan, Terri, Linda, Kelsey, Ashley, Pat and Linda

April 2012

We met at the wonderful Fuji restaurant last night.  We had a small but talkative group.  The book we discussed was The Paris Wife.  A fictional book based on a real character is always tricky.  And, when the protagonist is Ernest Hemingway, that makes the book much more interesting.  Hadley is Ernest's first wife, his starter wife,(there were a total of four) and is eight years older than he.  Ernest meets Gertrude Stein while he is writing The Sun Also Rises and many other celebrities during their time in Paris.  Most of us weren't quite finished with it but we still had a great discussion wondering how the book would end.

Next month we are meeting on May 1 at El Espolon on Hwy 179 at our usual time.  We are reading My Week with Marilyn.