Sunday Brunch Club: Then We Came to the End

Our March / April 2013 selection was Joshua Ferris' Then We Came to the End.

It was not well received!

Synopsis
With an irresistibly casual writing style, Ferris makes readers a part of his fictional advertising agency from the moment we open the book. Through numerous impromptu conversations, colleagues come alive. We learn that Larry and Amber have had an affair, and that Amber is pregnant. We know that Chris Yop is panicking because he exchanged his office chair without permission, and that Joe Pope is universally despised because he got promoted and now everyone has to listen to him. No one likes Karen Woo because she's always trying to seem smarter than everyone else. And the head boss, Lynn, has cancer, but she doesn't want anyone to know. We understand that the agency is in trouble, and that the unstable Tom Mota is being laid off. We realize that anyone could be next. And we're dying to know what's going to happen.

Club Rating Details:
My rating: ****/5
HR's rating: */5
CC's rating: */5
Average Rating: 2/5

GoodReads Rating Details:



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Saturday Snapshot: Always look on the bright side of life

Saturday Snapshot is a weekly meme hosted (now) by Melinda at West Metro Mommy. The guidelines are to post a photo that you or a friend or family member have taken and then link it back to Melinda's original post for the week. Photos can be old or new and be of any subject as long as they are clean and appropriate for all eyes to see.

A few weeks ago I had the good fortunate to take in a local production of "Spamalot." Although the sound was not perfect, the show was a most excellent good time! Still giggle a little when I think of the bunny. I was not expecting the ending; suffice to say the actors could barely keep it together themselves when they were through a bit of a curve ball.

Saturday Snapshot: Ground Control to Major Tom

Saturday Snapshot is a weekly meme hosted by Alyce at At Home With Books. The guidelines are to post a photo that you or a friend or family member have taken and then link it back to Alyce's original post for the week. Photos can be old or new and be of any subject as long as they are clean and appropriate for all eyes to see.

This was an exciting week here, all related to activities I had not participation in other than as a ecstatic observer.

The most exciting was the return of Canadian astronaut Chris Hadfield after 144 days in space. I along with thousands of others followed his journey via his twitter feed and followed the live feeds of the return overseas. The photos and videos he took were/are spectacular. I am still awed someone in space--in SPACE--was communicating so freely with the world. And a Canadian too!

 

I loved his final transmission, so to speak, which was a cover of David Bowie's "Space Oddity" (which is available on Youtube). Do want to give a shout out to Emm Gryner, who completed the piano arrangement for the cover. I met and interviewed her years ago, so feel a distant connection to the whole thing. Read how she became involved in the cover on her blog.

Not quite equally exciting was Chelsea FC's win over Benfica to win the Europa League Football Championship. Been a roller coaster year for the Blues but a bit of joy at the end for all us fans!! Well, and the players too. :-)

Saturday Snapshot: Support Through Daffodils

Saturday Snapshot is a weekly meme hosted by Alyce at At Home With Books. The guidelines are to post a photo that you or a friend or family member have taken and then link it back to Alyce's original post for the week. Photos can be old or new and be of any subject as long as they are clean and appropriate for all eyes to see.

April was daffodil month here, in support of Canadians living with cancer. I wore this daffodil pin in memory of my aunt and in honour of many friends who have battled cancer over the years.

Who would you wear it for?

And because some of you are surprised/dismayed by the weather where I am, April 30 brought forward wind flurries, snow flurries and rain. A cornucopia of weather!

 

And just a bit more to wake up to on April 30.

Sunday Brunch Club: How to Be a Woman

Our January / February 2013 selection was Caitlan Moran's How to Be a Woman.

Synopsis
Though they have the vote and the Pill and haven't been burned as witches since 1727, life isn't exactly a stroll down the catwalk for modern women. They are beset by uncertainties and questions: Why are they supposed to get Brazilians? Why do bras hurt? Why the incessant talk about babies? And do men secretly hate them?

Caitlin Moran interweaves provocative observations on women's lives with laugh-out-loud funny scenes from her own, from the riot of adolescence to her development as a writer, wife, and mother. With rapier wit, Moran slices right to the truth—whether it's about the workplace, strip clubs, love, fat, abortion, popular entertainment, or children—to jump-start a new conversation about feminism. With humor, insight, and verve, How To Be a Woman lays bare the reasons female rights and empowerment are essential issues not only for women today but also for society itself.

Club Rating Details:
My rating: ****/5
HR's rating: ****/5
CC's rating: ***/5
Average Rating: 3.67/5 

GoodReads Rating Details:

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Saturday Snapshot: Winter for Spring

Saturday Snapshot is a weekly meme hosted by Alyce at At Home With Books. The guidelines are to post a photo that you or a friend or family member have taken and then link it back to Alyce's original post for the week. Photos can be old or new and be of any subject as long as they are clean and appropriate for all eyes to see.

We had a lovely relapse into winter this month. April Fool's Day brought us this:

 

April 13 brought this:

  

And April 20 brought a little more:

I love the snow but my enthusiasm is starting to wane!

(Oh, and FYI, I've hit Instagram as an experiment. If interested, look for hopechaser11!)

Sunday Brunch Club: Strength in What Remains

Our September/October 2012 selection was Strength in What Remainsby Tracy Kidder.


Synopsis:
Deo arrives in America from Burundi in search of a new life. Having survived a civil war and genocide, plagued by horrific dreams, he lands at JFK airport with two hundred dollars, no English, and no contacts. He ekes out a precarious existence delivering groceries, living in Central Park, and learning English by reading dictionaries in bookstores. Then Deo begins to meet the strangers who will change his life, pointing him eventually in the direction of Columbia University, medical school, and a life devoted to healing. Kidder breaks new ground in telling this unforgettable story as he travels with Deo back over a turbulent life in search of meaning and forgiveness.

An extraordinary writer, Tracy Kidder once again shows us what it means to be fully human by telling a story about the heroism inherent in ordinary people, a story about a life based on hope.

Club Rating Details:
My rating: ****/5
HR's rating: ****/5
CC's rating: ***/5
Average Rating: 3.67/5

GoodReads Rating Details:


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Saturday Snapshot: Happy Birthday!

Saturday Snapshot is a weekly meme hosted by Alyce at At Home With Books. The guidelines are to post a photo that you or a friend or family member have taken and then link it back to Alyce's original post for the week. Photos can be old or new and be of any subject as long as they are clean and appropriate for all eyes to see.

We are celebrating the 100th birthday of our city library this year. A great announcement was made two weeks ago that all new and renewals would be free for the whole year! Such a great marketing move to bring people into the fold. Happy 100th Birthday!