| JUNE MEETING NOTES |
| Greetings All, If you had a time machine, and missed the meeting, you could go back and see what happened. But, for those of you who missed it, I will let you in on the evening. It was nice to see you all and I appreciated, as I'm sure everyone did, all the insights and thoughts on the book. The Time Machine seemed generally well received, although no one was jumping out of their chairs with praise, or loathing for that matter. It didn't inspire a strong reaction, it seemed, either way. Lots of talk about Wells himself, what he was trying to say, why he wrote this book, and how he wrote his main character, who may or may not have been representing Wells. We discussed his political ideas, and how relevant they are today, getting into discussions of social classes, how they are maintained, what they contribute, etc. We also picked on several "flaws" in the book, things that didn't seem to add up, contradictions, etc. All of us acknowledged Wells' ignition of the science fiction genre. Several folks wrapped up by saying they were glad to have read Time Machine. After some discussion and a few glasses of wine, we broke for dinner. Julia was a wonderful hostess and filled our tummies with Lasagna and a nice summer salad. It was a great dinner and we were all glad she decided not to do roasted Eloi. A big THANK YOU to Julia for having us over to your lovely apartment! Some folks read "Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde" as well, despite my forgetting to put in May's notes that we were going to read that as well, since the Time Machine was so short. So, we had a brief discussion on that, which was interesting as I haven't read it. Turns out the book is quite a bit different than the common movie version, but you'll have to read it to find out how :) Onto some other notes: 1) Our August selection is Valley of the Moon -- Jack London Book Description -- A road novel fifty years before Kerouac, The Valley of the Moon traces the odyssey of Billy and Saxon Roberts from the labor strife of Oakland at the turn of the century through Central and Northern California in search of land they can farm independently-a journey that echoes Jack London's own escape from urban poverty. As London lost hope in the prospects of the socialist party and organized labor, he began searching a scientific and environmentally sound approach to farming. In his novel, It is Saxon, London's most fully realized heroine, who embodies these concerns. The Valley of the Moon is London's paean to his second wife Charmian and to the pastoral life and his ranch in Glen Ellen, the Valley of the Moon. About the Author -- Jack London (1876-1916) is best known for his adventure stories such as The Call of the Wild,White Fang, and The Sea Wolf. Born in San Francisco, he grew up on farms and ranches in California and attended school in Oakland, worked both menial and adventurous jobs, and spent one semester at the University of California. He joined the Socialist Labor Party, but resigned just before his early death "because of its lack of fire and fight, and its loss of emphasis on the class struggle." 2) We are taking a break in July and Linda had a great idea to have a bar-b-que at China Camp. We can bring along any family or friends and enjoy a nice time in the sun! The date is Sunday, July 14th and we have our space reserved. This will be a great opportunity for us to meet outside of a book discussion and enjoy the wonderful summer!! This is going to be a potluck. Please mark your calendars and I'll send out directions, etc down the road. 3) We welcomed some potentially new members to the group. Bruce from Sonoma (who works in Larkspur), Dina from ah! I forgot, and Bill from San Rafael. Welcome! Please respond to me before the next meeting to let me know if you are planning on joining the group as a regular member. 4) We had a few people who RSVP'd in the affirmative and were not able to make it. I'd like to request that this only happen in dire situations, as the person hosting the group prepares (buys and cooks food, has chairs, plates, etc, all ready) for the number I give her. In this case, it was okay, as we had plenty of folks and ate all the food. But, I would be disappointed if this happened on a regular basis. Please be considerate and come to the meeting if you've said you're coming. You all have NO idea how much I hate writing this. This is a group for our enjoyment. I'd like to get the group down to a self-motivated membership of folks who can RSVP and come on a regular basis. This note is not directed to any of you specifically, it's just a general request. 5) Please visit our website for updated information about the next meeting, the book, and our author. We're nearing 700 hits on our page and I hope you are finding it useful. 6) We were all sad to hear that Lorraine French will be leaving us to move back to England. Her great insights and knowledge of classic literature will be missed. But her witty comments, infectious laughter, and overall enjoyable company will be missed more. I hope you can make it in time to the bbq, Lorraine. I'm sure those who missed the meeting would love to wish you off. 7) Our next regular book group meeting is Monday, August 12th at 7pm. I look forward to discussing our first 'road trip' novel. Our hostess will be Holly of Mill Valley. See you all soon!! HOME AUGUST NOTES . |