August Meeting

From the beautifully laid dining table to the salted dark chocolate caramels, it was an afternoon of perfection. We met at Barb's house to
discuss The Great Santini, but we really met to enjoy each others company and marvel at Barb's culinary skills. We declared 'Sixty is the
new forty!" We were pleased to hear that Stephanie's son, Nick, is recovering rapidly -- he is back to work, and walks two miles each way
as part of his daily physical therapy. Barb always makes a Sunday Bounty of delicious food, but this time she raised the bar: baked ham, frittata,
salad with nectarines, cheesecake with fresh strawberries, homemade lemon ice-cream, ginger cookies and lemon-basil shortbread cookies.
We discussed how the era and/or location may have allowed the actions of the characters: corporal punishment was common, women did not divorce.
We also felt that more background was needed on Mr. Meacham (??), although I'm not sure that would help us understand him or his actions.
We left reluctantly, filled with friendship and high on sugar.

Submitted by Diane

July Meeting

July’s meeting was held at Sharon’s home. We discussed the autobiography,West with the Night by Beryl Markham, which was actually Stephanie’s book selection. After a delicious meal, and an uplifting update on Nick Calhoun’s recovery progress, we had a very interesting discussion about the book, and especially about the author. Several members had researched the author, and the rest of us were intrigued to find that the autobiography omitted quite a few details about Ms Markham’s personal life—that she had a brother, whom her mother had taken back to England, as he was sickly, and she did not like Africa. Also, she was married at one time to a writer, and also had several affairs, including with Denys Finch Hatten, who also had an affair with Isak Dinesen (Karen Von Blixen-Finecke), as she wrote about in Out of Africa. We also had quite a discussion regarding whether she (or her writer husband) actually wrote the book. All in all, it was a great book club meeting.
Submitted by Gloria