All the Light We Cannot See-- part 2

It's a really long post... so proceed with caution.

(and it's really just a shout out to my bookclubs)

A strange thing happened this month.

3 of my 4 book-clubs chose, "All the Light We Cannot See" for our monthly book discussion.

That's so weird!!

It's never happened before in the history of my book clubs.

(last month 2 of them did Big Little lies and I thought that was cool too.. but 3 of them? wow!)

The first two photos (which aren't very good) are from the community club:

the Literary Guild.

It's the 2nd oldest club in our county.

Every month we meet for lunch at a local Basque restaurant and someone gives a book talk.

We don't read the same book, but we all love our Literary Lunch.

Inez gave the book talk and her choice was, of course, All the Light We Cannot See.

Because she spent years as an English as a second language teacher and can speak Spanish and French.. her talk was so elegant--peppered with just the right (and correct pronunciation) words.

I used to work with Inez. 
I was the Children's Librarian at the Grammar School and she had an office right behind mine.

It was my first year, and Inez helped me out with ornery children. 
I learned from the best!

I can handle those ornery ones easily now.  In fact, some of them are my favorites.  

The lunch crowd.

Lovely ladies one and all.

 

Now for the peeps I love.  (not that I don't love the lunch ladies too)

(and is peeps still a word?  I'm always behind the times.. but...)

These are my people!

Totally Lit(erature)  Book-Club.

 (we were missing  4 people and I'm taking the photo, so if everyone came,   there are 12 of us) 

I love these people!

This is going to sound weird, but I write them letters---even tho we live in the same town.

I want to be known as a letter writer....the one who always kept in touch.

And while I do correspond with friends who live far away--my daughter-in-law, who is Methodist minister, told me once, she was at a meeting and a lovely older lady was saying how  

"I just wrote to Abigail yesterday, "

and her daughter (the lovely older lady's daughter)

said   'MOM!  you live next door to her!!  Sheesh!"

I'm not older (altho I am lovely), but I want to be known for doing that!!

Writing letters.  Every. Day.

What's better than getting a snail mail letter?

And so 

YES

We correspond by mail.

(some more than others, but you'd be surprised how many write back!)

I just gave you too much information, I know.

 

So then....

I said --- stick out your tongue!

It seems we have  4 game players here and 3 that just laughed.  

Speaking of laughing...

These two got to laughing and couldn't stop!

The reason was because I asked the question--

name memorable animals in literature.

(I saw that question on a blog the other day)

While some of us were seriously naming our favorite animal characters...

these two were naming things like:

the Cowardly Lion

The Squid from Twenty-Thousand Leagues Under the Sea  (we figured it was The Cracken, btw)

etc.

It doesn't take much to amuse us.

******************

These people are also my people!!

The Lit Wits!

During book club last night, I got a 'snapchat' from one of them with a video of us discussing the book and she wrote:
BOOK CLUB--my favorite moment of the whole month!

This is:

The Lit Wits Book Club

(we were missing about 4 also last night. So we have about 21 in this group or 22 if everyone comes at once.) 

If you look closely, you will see 2 ladies who were also in the Totally Lit picture.

There are 4 of us who do both groups.

I LOVE these ladies.

But writing letters to all 22?  I don't do that,  I correspond with 5 out of the 22.

And 3 of them are in the other group---it laps over!

Not that I wouldn't write 20 more letters--- it just hasn't happened.

Yet.

I digress. 

Please notice--- there is not one book.  Paper book!

Everyone used their Kindle's, or did it on audio.

I actually had a hardback copy, but I forgot it.

Lit Wits is the book-club where we eat.

It's a cooking club too.

BUT---it is not a potluck.

Our hostess cooks for all.

I forgot to get a photo of the great

Chicken Cordon Bleu.

It was YUMMY.

I did manage to get the drinks in a photo tho.

I didn't ask these guys to stick out their tongues.

But I did ask them to talk about their most memorable animal in literature character.

Chaos ensued!

They all started talking at once, naming GREAT animal characters in some GREAT  books.

It was hard for the hostess to rein everyone in again.

Where the Red Fern always comes up and everyone puts their hand to their hearts when they mention  "Old Dan and Little Ann".

Except for our friend Robin.

She hates it.

She said:  
It's about trapping hunting and dogs that die. It's fun for everyone

In fact... she hates lots of children's classic literature.

she said:

  Winnie the Pooh and all those annoying characters.  Old Yeller and Call of the Wild (hate).  Jack, Little house in the Prairie.  Marley and Me. Peter Cottontail.  Velveteen Rabbit (hate).  Charlotte's Web and Where the Red Fern grows (Hate).  Cujo. Because of Winn Dixie.  I can think of more...

We love her!

She's not a fan of animals dying in books.

Or sad books.

Give her a Stephen King book tho and She's in!!

 

I adore all the ladies in this post!

We'll be friends forever and 1 extra day.

Oh? 

The Book?

All book clubs gave it  3.7stars!