Category: Books

I Love Book Club!

Published on by J. Kelland Perry5 Comments

I have to say that I am so enjoying the local book club a couple of friends and I started this past January. Just two nights ago, our group gathered for another meeting to review our latest selection. And such a lively, thought-provoking discussion it was.  We were happy as well to welcome a new member to our fold.  Delighted to have you aboard, Kathy!

To become a member of our little group, the only real requirements are a pure love of reading and a willingness to share your opinions. But that is where most of our similarities end. What a diverse group of individuals we are! From a teacher, to a couple of retired nurses; from a minister’s wife, to a self-proclaimed atheist; a homemaker/blogger (yours truly), a designer, and even some artists, we are a varied lot. Some are originally from the area, but most of us aren’t.
Naturally, people being what they are, we often begin with the book in question, but soon veer off on tangents, taking the discussion to unexpected areas where voicing your two cents worth is welcome on any number of topics. When we have come together, we have shared thoughts and positions on racism, the medical profession, capital punishment, mental illness, greed, and crime, just to name a few.

Our provincial library has been a god-send in facilitating our passion:  it has made available a long list of “book club kits” that we borrow from each month. All titles are either award-winning, well-reviewed, or both, and provide much variety of topics and tastes. Seldom does everyone love the book currently being discussed, but that often generates the most dynamic debates!

Here is what we have read and reviewed so far:

The Book of Negroes by Lawrence Hill
The Good Earth by Pearl S. Buck
Bloodletting & Miraculous Cures by Vincent Lam
The Innocent Man: Murder and Injustice in a Small Town by John Grisham

Coming up on our foreseeable agenda is:
Come, Thou Tortoise by Jessica Grant (a fellow Newfoundlander)
The Secret Life of Bees by Sue Monk Kidd

Of course, a happy by-product of Book Club is making new and interesting friends, and in my opinion, friends so interesting that  they are usually reading other books, sometimes more than one at a time, in between our club picks.

Book worms, unite!  Happy reading, everyone!

 

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One Lovely Blog Award :-)

Published on by J. Kelland Perry7 Comments

I was quite pleased and flattered this week when one of my fellow bloggers nominated me for the “One Lovely Blog Award”.  She is carlarenee45, one of the bloggers that I subscribe to, and I am honoured to be on her list as well.  Unfortunately, I’m having trouble with our internet connection these past two weeks so I had to write this from our local library.  With any luck, I should be back up and running by next week.  At that time I will respond to the nomination in more detail, and suggest some favourite blogs of mine.  But in keeping with the rules of being nominated, here are seven random things about me that I’d like to share.

1.  I have the curliest hair you probably ever saw.  It drives me nuts.

2.  I became a mom at the tender age of eighteen.

3.  I love interior decorating magazines.

4.  I have arthritis, but if I don’t exercise regularly, I feel worse.

5.  I love a clean tidy house, but I hate housework.  Wish I had a maid…

6.  I’m one of those oddballs that loves liver and onions.

7.  When I was 14, I read “Everything you Wanted to Know About Sex (but Were Afraid to Ask)”, when I was babysitting at my teacher’s house.  Quite an education (and probably explains number 2)!

My honey and I are off to Varadero, Cuba in the morning, so for the next week I won’t be on the internet very often.  Ta ta for now, and we’ll catch up real soon.

Cold and Dreary February? Nahh… Part Two (Indoors)

Published on by J. Kelland Perry1 Comment

As my last blog entry noted, I wanted to share with you the joys of my indoor life this past month (see related article below).  There were four activities that have made February a pleasure for me this winter, and they all took place in the coziness of our home.

1.  Cooking and baking Comfort Food.  And, of course, eating it!
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Aahhh…the domestic bliss I feel when I bake a batch of homemade bread on a cold winter day… the delicious aroma, the shiny plump loaves all lined up as they cool.  Without a doubt it is my favourite comfort food.  Using whole wheat flour makes it nutritious as well.

A perennial favourite among many foodies is good old macaroni and cheese.  Nothing says Comfort like my mom’s recipe.  The cheesy, bubbly goodness, with buttered crumb topping, that heavenly smell…are we hungry yet?

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Just last night I made a hearty pot of beef stew, sure to warm you right down to your toes.  The wholesome ingredients, the rich gravy;  and what goes great with a big steaming bowl?  That’s right, more HOMEMADE BREAD.  Forget it, low carb diet, you will have to wait til spring.

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2.  Watching Movies

Paul and I usually take part in what we call a Movie Blitz this time of year.  In a race before Oscar night, we have watched seven of the nine movies nominated for Best Picture.  And what a delightful cross-section this year!  There were plenty of handsome actors to choose from:  George Clooney, Brad Pitt, Jean Dujardin, to name a few.  Be still, my romantic heart.

There was even a movie to satisfy my girlhood love of thoroughbreds:  War Horse.  If you haven’t seen it, you should. It’s an old-fashioned sweeping epic style of picture, done in a way Spielberg is famous for.

 

3.  Book Club

Reading has been a passion of mine all my life.  I’m talking about having to read every word on a cereal box if nothing else is handy.  Our little book discussion group had a slow start, but we now have more members.  The Book of Negroes by Lawrence Hill was our first selection (an excellent read), and now we are in the process of selecting the next one.  For those who don’t know, the local library has actual book club kits that include many choices of wonderful books, both old classics and the latest bestsellers.  If there is anyone out there in a book club, I would love it if you could drop me a line and share your experience.

4.  Planning a Tropical Getaway

Anticipating a trip south is one of the best ways I know to cure the winter blahs.  Make it two trips and you’re guaranteed that cure.  The first one will be in three weeks for just the two of us, then another toward the end of April, where we get to spend time with friends and family.  Always fun to have a reason to take out your summer duds in February!

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As for the rest of you living in the northern hemisphere, what has kept you warm this month?

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