The Physick Book of Deliverance Dane

Hostess: Kelly at Alyssa's house

Book: The Physick Book of Deliverance Dane

Food: Fancy time cupcakes from a bakery, hummus, veggies with dip

Best Wine of the Night: Two Buck Chuck from Trader Joe's

Month: April

In March Kelly told us she was trying to decide between two books for her choice, this one and another one I can't remember anymore. I lobbied hard for this one- I love to read books about the Salem witch trials, I always have. I am also a huge history buff, I even have a degree in it, so this book appealed to me on this level as well. So when Kelly said this was the book she had chosen, I was pretty excited.

I loved this book, I pretty much devoured it in two days. At first Chrissy didn't care for the book, and felt the protagonist Connie was pretentious. I have to agree, she wasn't an instantly likeable character. I also could not believe she actually spent the night in that house the first night. That was pretty unbelievable, at least for me. Yuck. Connie did grow on me though-she was a thorough researcher who took her fact finding seriously. My historical research professor would have been pleased with her efforts and her use of materials.

I enjoyed the approach this book took to the idea of the Witchcraft trials- certainly it was one I have never heard broached before, that perhaps they really were witches after all, and it was not the hysterics of young selfish girls that started it all. It puts a very different spin on things, to think maybe there was a real witch in the bunch. Something to think about...

The Alchemist

Hostess: Karin

Book Selection: The Alchemist by Paulo Coelho

Food: Berries with cream served in teacups, cheese tortellini with red sauce, hummus and pita, goat cheese and water crackers, breadsticks, veggies and dip

Best Wine of the Night: Espiral Vinoh Verde, a white blend from Portugal. Around $4.00 at Trader Joes.

Month: March

The first time I read this book, I tried to like it but didn't really. It went over my head, I had no idea what was happening, and I didn't quite care either. This time reading it for book club, I paid attention to the book and what the author was saying, and I enjoyed it so much better this time. I also think that my frame of mind during this reading made a difference as well; it was a good time in my life to read a positive, uplifting book. Not that my life is in shambles, quite the opposite really, but I think with the coming of spring out of a cold long winter this was a perfect book.

The book, very simply put, is all about discovering your personal legend,and the journey toward achieving that legend. That is the essence and very bare bones of this novel. My favorite line in the book, and the one that is at the heart of the book, is " When you want something, all the universe conspires in helping you achieve it." I am trying to make that my personal mantra, it is such a powerfully positive way to look at the world. And if along the way things happen that seem to prevent from ever reaching your goal, Coelho encourages you to stop and think about what is happening. There is a reason behind the roadblock.

Karin mentioned the crystal merchant - he preferred dreaming the dream to realizing the dream. Dreaming gave him happiness, and he was content to continue dreaming, rather than risk disappointment, to him his dreams were as fragile, beautiful, and breakable as the crystal that he sold. Karin and I could see his point, to some extent. Sometimes it is nice just to dream, without feeling you have to pursue it. But I would believe those must be daydreams, not part of your personal quest. On another note, I loved the descriptions of the mint tea being served in a crystal glass - it sounds so refreshing, I am going to have to try it this summer.

At the end of the book, Santiago is beaten by refugees looking for treasure. Through bloody and swollen lips, Santiago tells his tormentors of his dream of treasure. As his assailants are leaving, the leader of the band of refugees pauses to tell the boy to give up dreaming, because he had a recurrent dream of his own, about treasure - and inadvertently reveals to Santiago the location of where his, the boy's, treasure, is. The leader goes on to say he would never be such a fool to cross a desert because of a dream. His dream was basically the same dream as Santiago's. Chrissy raised the question that perhaps since the refugee leader passed up the dream, the dream was transferred to Santiago, that the dream would live on in someone until it was fulfilled.

We all loved this book, and interestingly, we all want to read other books written by Coelho, but we all named different ones. I wonder if that means something? Our online member wants to read The Pilgrimage, Alyssa wants to read Veronika Decides to Die, I want to read Brida. But if you are looking for an optimistic, positive book, try this one. It is a fable for adults who need to be reminded to follow their hearts.

For those of you who want to read along with us and drink a glass of wine, next month's book is The Physick Book of Deliverance Dane. Please feel free to read and comment on all our book selections!

Reading The Lovely Bones

Hostess: Mary 2

Book Selection: The Lovely Bones by Alice Sebold

Food: Hummus, pita, veggie tray, cheese, shrimp

Best Wine of the Night: Zinopolis, California Zinfandel, 2007 $17.99

Month: February

I am not sure what I expected from this book - I know that when it was first published and flying off the shelves, I was reluctant to read it, although everyone I knew was raving about it. It seemed like it was going to be depressing, and I wasn't in the market for sad at that time.

So when I read it for book club, I was surprised it was not as depressing and bleak as I had thought it would be. Don't get me wrong, it is still a disturbing topic, the rape and murder of a young girl. But I think Sebold wrote this novel in such a way that the reader is able to distance themselves from the horror of the act, by writing the book from the viewpoint of Susie Salmon as a heavenly narrator.

I loved the heaven aspect, the fact that Susie could watch people, and design her own heaven. And I loved that Holiday was there with her eventually. I know as a pet owner, that I hope my animals will be with me in eternity one day. So I liked that part.

The novel raised many questions in me, and in my book club companions - it was an interesting discussion. All of us felt that the book started out strong, it fizzled out near the end, and seemed to just run out of steam. But perhaps this was Sebold's intention as well, people move on, large life changing events remain large and life changing, but in time they become the past, literally and emotionally, as newer large and life changing events take place. For Susie, that was it for her; she never grew up, moved on, had other experiences, while her friends and family did move on, grow up, lead lives, never forgetting Susie, but dealing with it the best they could. Except for the mom, in my opinion. I was so angry at her! I could not believe a mother could leave her other children like that- it is so completely wrong to me. I felt she was a weak woman, who had to run away from her emotions rather than face them and raise her remaining children. I realize I have no idea of how it would feel to be in her position, and I hope if I have children, I never do. I hope though that if I would eventually be strong for my other kids, even if inside I were struggling and wanting to run away and disappear. Buckley and Lindsey lost not just a sister, but a mother too.

And Mr. Harvey! What a villain to create. I was waiting on the edge of my seat for hard core justice, which never came. I sympathized with the father, who was obsessed with finding evidence that Mr. Harvey was the evil monster that he believed he was, and his desire for Mr. Harvey to get what he deserved. All those girls, all those women, all the families in their lives lost as well. I didn't think what happened to him was enough, but Alyssa pointed out that he didn't matter anymore; the damage had already been done. And maybe that is the case, I can see that. I don't necessarily agree, but I can see the point. I compare this to Joyce Carol Oates' novel Rape: A Love Story, and what happened to the rapists in that story, and I feel that although I thought their punishment was too strong, at least there was a consequence.

Parts of the novel were a little weird, parts were a little obscure; but no matter what this novel made you feel, anger, disgust, wonder, sympathy, sadness - it definitely made you feel something. I don't think it is possible to read The Lovely Bones without leaving with some sort of feeling about it one way or another; it is impossible to be ambivalent.

Stealing Buddha's Dinner

Hostess: Jennifer

Book: Stealing Buddha's Dinner by Bich Minh Nguyen

Food: Hummous, Rice Almond Salad, fantastic fancy pastries

Best Wine of Night: Pepperwood Grove Cabernet $5.99

Jennifer picked the book, Stealing Buddha's Dinner, by Bich Minh Nguyen, which on the surface is a memoir of Nguyen's childhood as a Vietnamese immigrant growing up in Grand Rapids in the 1980s, and how she fixated on American junk foods as the gateway to becoming a true American.

Maybe it was because I grew up in a small town in Michigan during the 1980s, and I remembered all the food that Nguyen coveted, but I the parts of the memoir which focused on Nguyen's grandmother, and the traditional Vietnamese food she prepared much more interesting. I found myself wishing that the author would talk more about these classic foods of her homeland, rather than red Pringles in a can, or Twinkies. I understand that was not the focus of the book though, and that Nguyen latched onto American junk food as her entree to becoming her ideal of a true American citizen, that if she ate like everyone around her, she would be one of them.

I loved the idea that school lunches were a source of status to students- maybe it is because I remember being envious of my classmates who had hostess cupcakes in their lunches too, since my mom didn't buy those for me either. I also remember the kids who brought soup in with their lunches in tupperware containers- I always wanted to do that too.

I could also relate to the authors memories of being in libraries, of the library as a sanctuary; when I was younger, I felt the library was a place of calm, somewhere quiet and cool in the summer, warm in the winter. I still am in love with libraries, maybe that is why I work in one now. But I read and loved all the books that Nguyen discusses - Little House on the Prairie was my favorite and I still reread them every year, but I also wanted to be Harriet the Spy and carry around a notebook filled with my observations about the people around me.

I felt like the memoir had good intentions, but often stalled out on the mega long descriptions of food packaging and the food itself. These were the hardest, slowest bits for me- to be honest, I often skipped over them. I did not want to read three pages dedicated to a pringles can or Kraft macaroni and cheese boxes. I wanted to know more about Nguyen's grandmother and stepmom and mother (who seemed thrust into the book like an afterthough). I hungered for a little more than I received. This aside, I really did enjoy the book. It was an interesting glimpse into a life unlike mine, a life on the other side of the lunchbox.

Check out the Penguin reading guides write up about Stealing Buddha's dinner, followed by an interview with author Bich Minh Nguyen.

Way of the Peaceful Warrior..by Dan Millman

December 2009:

The book: Way of the Peaceful Warrior, by Dan Millman

Place: Jill's house

Refreshments: Peppermint Martinis, roasted red pepper and goat cheese pie thing, spinach pie, shrimp, crab dip, little cheescakes, and of course wine. Yum to all.

This was Jill's pick, and the first book we have read like this in book club. It was a different kind of read for us, but it sparked alot of discussion.

If you have never read this book, in a few sentences or less, it is about one man's journey to enlightenment, and a better way of life. He meets this strange guru/mentor/hallucination named Socrates, who teaches him how to become more in touch with his natural self and life lessons , such as living and experiencing the moment for what it is, that there are no ordinary moments, and that there are no accidents. My favorite line/quote is "Only the supremely wise and the ignorant do not alter."

We all had many questions for each other- is this just Dan's journey, or would this path work for us too? Was Socrates merely the result of a brain touched by the hallucinogenic drugs of the 1960s, or was he really a spiritual ambassador? And really, how did he jump onto the building like that? Alyssa asked if it was possible to really just live in the moment, without a plan for the future or thinking ahead. I am not sure anyone really answered her or not; I do believe it is possible to live entirely in the present, but I don't think it is necessarily responsible or wise. This makes me think of the story of the grasshopper and the ant. The grasshopper plays all summer long, and does not prepare for winter, while the ant works hard, storing food for the long cold months to come. When winter finally does arrive, the grasshopper begins to starve to death, and asks the ant for a handout. The ant slams the door in his face, leaving the grasshopper to die.

I think this is a little uncharitable of the ant personally- sure, the grasshopper should have worked instead of singing and dancing and making fun of the ant, but the ant still could have shown pity to the grasshopper. Maybe this is because Billy and I often compare ourselves to the grasshopper; we like to enjoy ourselves and live for today. Our New Year's Resolution this year actually is to plan at least a little for our future, to become more antlike and less grasshopperesque.

So, my opinion on that question is obviously still up in the air.

My opinion on the book is that you should read it- if not for the writing style, which was not all that great, read it for the message and to see for yourself what you think. It is a spiritual book, that is supposed to change lives. None of really felt our lives were changed by reading the book, but we were glad we read it.

We are reading Stealing Buddha's Dinner for January- this sounds like another very interesting book, and I can't wait to start reading it.

The empty page

This is not my usual type of blog - unlike some bloggers I read, I am not as skilled at reviewing books as I am at reading them. But I am going to try.

The Bottle of Wine Book Club is a year old now, and picking up steam. It started when I read The Jane Austen Book Club, and thought how fun would that be? I had always wanted to read all of Jane Austen's books, and what a great way to read them, with my friends. Well, this didn't quite pan out as I had thought. After our first one, and a meeting of just me, Chrissy and Kelly, we moved on to free choice of books of whoever is hosting the meeting. It has also evolved beyond the vegetable tray and hummus I served at the first meeting as well - we now serve meals to our guests, and wine, always wine. I wish I could remember all the books we have read in the past year together - the ones that stand out in my mind are Their Eyes Were Watching God, The Almost Moon, Something Wicked This Way Comes, The Problem with Murmur Lee, Me Talk Pretty One Day, A Confederacy of Dunces, and Sense and Sensibility. We have also had some great meals; cucumber sandwiches and gazpacho soup, salmon, spinach pie, mini quiches, fancy desserts, mediterranean stew, great cheeses from Hirts' in Detroit. As for wine, lately we have been drinking alot of what we call Detroit Wine, which is really wine from the California Wine Grape Company in Detroit.

Now there are seven of us, all volunteers of the Wyandotte Animal Shelter, and we have more planned than just reading books in the year ahead. We are always up to something new and different! Looking into 2010, we are discussing a book club getaway somewhere, and sponsoring a needy child together, as well as a full year of good books, in addition to all of our animal rescue work, which we always discuss after the book. We just can't help it.